Good areas may also be found near Chapel Fork. To reach this part of the national forest, travel east from Kane on Route 6 to Route 219. Intersecting roads that lead to national forest trails are found at Tally Ho and Timbuck along Route 219 and from Westline.

From Kane, also try Route 321 north, which crosses the Kinzua Creek arm of the giant reservoir.

Route 321 turns back to the northeast, paralleling the North Fork of Chapel Fork.

For more information on the grouse-hunting opportunities on Allegheny National Forest, call (814) 723-5150, or for camping reservations, call 1-877-444-6777. Also check out the forest’s Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r9/Allegheny. I-80 CURVE

Like boxers trading jabs, the northern areas of the state, including the"central northeast,” often compete for the highest grouse-flushing rates.

In part of the Northeast Region, good grouse habitat is at a premium, but there are some sections where the birds have kept a firm footing.

One of the best sections is a string of state game lands, a state park and a portion of a state forest above and below the I-80 curve between Crescent Lake and slightly west of White Haven.

South of the interstate, SGL 149 is connected to Hickory Run State Park, which merges into SGL 129, which is connected to a part of Delaware State Forest and nearby to SGL 38.

Just above Interstate Route 80, near Crescent Lake and I-380, there’s SGL 318; and along the Northeast Extension (Route 476), there is SGL 40.

In this area, the amount of public acreage open to hunting is impressive. Much of this land has the steep beech-covered ridges and deep glide-over ravines where grouse thrive.

Hickory Run State Park contains over 15,500 acres, most of them open to hunting. The rugged areas near Hickory Run stream, close to Route 476, offer particularly good grouse habitat. A few years ago, severe wind and ice storms downed acres of trees along Route 476. Those downed trees left openings where grouse forage has taken hold. The same could be said for portions of SGL 40.