ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY
New York's biggest county in geographic terms, St. Lawrence is an up-and-coming turkey-hunting destination. In the 1990s, its reported fall-season kills averaged about 75 birds a season, but the DEC believes its actual yearly harvest amounted to four or five times that many.

Since the turn of the 21st century, the calculated kills have ranged from a low of 131 to a high of 640 per season, and the countywide flock appears to be in an expansion mode.

Getting in on the fun in St. Lawrence County means a visit to one of several state wildlife management areas, the public lands on the northern fringes of the Adirondack Park, or else knocking on farmhouse doors.

The 70,000 acres of public hunting grounds within its borders are a big reason why Chenango County's fall turkey harvest has been so rich lately.

The hunt that ensues will be noticeably different from the classic duels with hillside gobblers that are routine in the southern tier, Catskills and Finger Lakes regions.

In the St. Lawrence River valley sector of the county, roosting trees are often located in narrow wooded strips along streambanks or lake shorelines bordered by wide pastures or other open terrain. In contrast, heavily timbered forest becomes more common as you travel south and east of Route 11.

Public hunting grounds of note in St. Lawrence County include the Upper and Lower Lakes, Wilson Hill and Fish Creek Wildlife Management Areas, and approximately 60,000 acres of state forest parcels.

Upper and Lower Lakes WMA, in the town of Canton off state Route 68 and county routes 14 and 15, spans 8,000 acres, about one-fourth of them upland habitat. Roughly half of the 3,425-acre Wilson Hill WMA, which is about 10 miles west of Massena off Route 37, is upland habitat; and the 4,400-acre Fish Creek WMA, south of Black Lake in the towns of Macomb and Depuyster, is also about half upland and half wetland.

All three WMAs offer at least fair turkey hunting. But the 20,000-acre Brasher State Forest in the town of Brasher along county routes 50 and 55, and the Yellow Lake State Forest -- a 689-acre tract south of Gouverneur in the town of Rossie -- are better bets. In both forests, expect thick woods with flat to gently rolling terrain.

For help in finding accommodations in St. Lawrence County, call the county Chamber of Commerce office at (315) 386-4000.

DELAWARE COUNTY
Since 2000, county hunters have bagged an average of about 900 turkeys per fall season. That puts Delaware in the same league as the perennially state-leading southern-tier trio of Chautauqua, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties.

Its best private-land opportunities are on the hilly dairy farms in the Delhi area, but most of Delaware County's best public hunting grounds lie in the southern half of the county.

Options for visiting hunters include 60,000 acres of the Catskill Preserve, 20,900 acres of state forests and the 7,141-acre Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

Bear Spring, about three miles southeast of Walton via county Route 206, is extremely popular with spring turkey hunters and also with deer hunters, but isn't heavily pressured during the fall turkey hunt.

Primitive campsites are another enticement. For current camping rules, call the DEC's Region 4 office in Stamford at (607) 652-7367.

Other good choices for a fall hunt in Delaware County include the 17,500-acre Masonville State Forest, off state Route 8 and county Route 20 in the towns of Masonville, Tompkins and Deposit; and the East Branch Forest, consisting of two parcels totaling 2,400 acres off Route 30 near Downsville.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, (800) 642-4443, is the best source for information on motels, bed-and-breakfast places and other types of lodging in the county.