In 2002, hunters in TMA 9-B, now within WMUs 5C and 5B, harvested 2,880 gobblers, with a success rate well above state averages. The 2003 spring hunt put this TMA in the record books with an incredible success rate of 30 percent!

According to biologist Casalena, most of the land in WMUs 9-A and 9-B is privately owned, but there are some public grounds that offer hunters great opportunities. With success rates at levels this high, the Southeast Region should be on your list of hotspots to target this spring.

TMA 9-A is the only unit in the state with a higher success rate than TMA 9-B. At 36 percent, this TMA is unequaled for turkey-hunting success. Therefore, Casalena noted that TMA 9-B may be one of the best places to find a spring tom. Here is a look at some public-land opportunities that will give you a chance to tear your tag off your license and relocate it near a set of spurs.

SGL 157 near Nockamixon State Park in Bucks County is off Route 563. This SGL offers 2,010 acres of huntable land in a mixture of fields and forested wood lots. The forested areas are composed primarily of hardwoods. In several areas, white and pitch pine groves that were planted years ago now offer excellent roosting sites. The field areas are planted in crops such as corn and are divided by thick hedgerows that offer hunters great ambush locations.

SGLs 196 and 139 are bisected by Route 309 southwest of Nockamixon State Park. SGL 196 contains 356 acres, while SGL 139 covers 261 acres. Although these SGLs are relatively small, they offer good turkey habitat.

SGL 139 can be accessed from Route 309 by traveling east along Rock Hill Road to the SGL. SGL 196 can be found off Route 309 by turning onto Forest Road and traveling west to Valley Road. Follow Valley Road northwest to the SGL. These two Bucks County SGLs contain some of the larger continuously forested tracts and some of the best turkey habitat in the region.

SGL 43 is one of the largest SGLs in the Southeast Region, with 2,300 acres of mixed forest and fields in Berks County on Route 345 adjacent to French Creek State Park.

This SGL is in TMA 9A off the Route 422 border of TMA 9B. The forested area of the SGL is mixed with oaks and maples. The terrain is rolling, with broad hills and gentle creek bottoms. The adjacent private agricultural areas make this SGL a prime turkey producer.

The Southeast Region is limited in the quantity of its public grounds, but the success rate for hunters in this region vouch for the quality of the hunting.

For more information and maps, go to the PGC's Web page at www. pgc.state.pa.us; write the Southeast Region office, 448 Snyder Rd., Reading, PA 19605-9254; call (610) 926-3136 or (877) 877-9470.

For trip-planning information, contact the Bucks County Conference and Visitor Bureau; 3207 Street Road, Bensalem, PA 19020; e-mail at bccvb@bccvb.org; call (800) 836-BUCKS or (215) 639-0300; you can also visit the bureau's Web site at www.buckscountycvb.org.

Also, try the Reading and Berks County Visitor Bureau, 352 Penn Street, Reading, PA 19602; call (610) 375-4085 or (800) 443-6610; or visit the bureau's Web site at www. readingberkspa.com.

Public hunting grounds, as well as gobbling toms, are numerous in this area. Here are some SGLs that might put a plump Thanksgiving gobbler on the dinner table.

SGL 69 contains 4,496 acres of prime turkey habitat in an even mix between forest and fields. Access can be had from Route 198 at the intersection of Smith Road near Gilbert Corners.

SGL 179 is flat and primarily forested, with approximately 20 percent of the land in fields. The 5,325 acres that make up this SGL are in Triumph in Greene County.

For more information and maps, go to the PGC's Web page at www. pgc.state.pa.us, or contact the Southwest Region office, P.O. Box A, Ligonier, PA 15658; call (724) 238-9524 or (877) 877-7137.

Give these proven hotspots a try this spring and you will help drive the statewide success rate above 19 percent. Wherever you decide to set up your decoys in 2004, good luck and great hunting this season!