This is rugged hill country, with elevation variations of more than 700 feet. Several slopes are very steep. It is covered by hardwood forest. Scattered farms in the surrounding countryside add to the quality of turkey habitat in this area.

This is actually two connected state forests - Rock City, with 2,905 acres and McCarty Hill, with 3,110 acres, for a total area of 6,015 acres of public land. Take U.S. Route 219 north from I-86 at Salamanca or south from Buffalo, and then turn west onto Mutton Hollow for about two miles to reach the east side of the state forest.

To reach the western side, take state Route 353 north from Salamanca, and then turn right onto state Route 242 or Whig Street. Other side roads lead into various parts of the public land. Some gated roads provide good walking routes for bear hunters. Watch for the yellow state forest property signs.

For information about local services for both Rock City State Forest and South Valley State Forest, contact the Cattaraugus County Tourism, 303 Court St., Little Valley, NY 14755, or call (800) 331-0543.

This state forest is actually composed of three reforestation areas in Chenango and Broome counties. Total area is 5,417 acres. Both Rochester and Syracuse are within a reasonably short drive. The forest can be reached by taking New York Route 41 either south from Afton, or north from state Route 17, and then east on county Route 39. On the south side of the Susquehanna River, follow Melondy Hill Road to the public land.

For local information, contact Broome County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 49 Court St., Metro Center, 2nd Floor, Binghamton, NY 13901, or call (800) 836-6740 or (607) 772-8860.

To reach Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area from the Binghamton area, take state Route 17 east to Deposit and then state Route 10 to Walton. From Walton, take state Route 206 onto the public land. From the New York area, follow Route 17 to Roscoe and then Route 206. Or from either direction, take state Route 30 north off Route 17 at East Branch. East Trout Brook Road crosses through the center of the public land between routes 30 and 206.

Information about this area is available from the Region 4 sub-office at Stamford at (607) 652-7367. For information about local services, contact the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, 114 Main St., Delhi, NY 13753, or call (607) 746-2281.

Pharsalia Wildlife Management Area is in the northern part of Chenango County about 10 miles northwest of Norwich. From the Syracuse area, take Interstate Route 81 south to Cortland, and then take state Route 41 east to state Route 26 east and state Route 23, which is close to the west and south sides of the public land and intersects with smaller access roads in the North Pharsalia area. From the Binghamton area, follow state Route 12 north to Norwich and then Route 23 west to the wildlife management area.

For information on local services, contact the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce, 19 Eaton Ave., Norwich, NY 13815; call (800) 556-8596 or (607) 334-1400.

Old gobblers in this county are not common, and the ones that are there are well educated. Often, you can expect to be in competition with other hunters calling the same bird. A high level of skill is necessary, obviously, but beyond that, hunters who do something different will have the best chance of scoring.

Public lands in Dutchess County are relatively small. The largest is the Taconic-Hereford Multiple Use Area, at 909 acres. The terrain consists of rolling hills covered primarily by hardwood forest in the town of Pleasant Valley east of the Taconic State Parkway in the center of the county. Parking areas are along the parkway, on a dirt access road off Tyrell Road and at the end of Pond Gut Road, which leads off state Route 82.

Wassaic Multiple Use Area is in the town of Amenia, about three miles north from Dover Plains in the east-central part of the county. Parking is available along state Route 22 and Tower Hill Road. This 487-acre area has mixed forest with some openings.

Depot Hill Multiple Use Area is in the southern part of the county in the town of Beckman. Follow state Route 216 west from state Route 55 to Depot Hill Road. Most of the habitat on this 260-acre section is hardwood forest.

Roeliff-Jansen Kill Multiple Use Area, Stissing Mountain Multiple Use Area and Lafayetteville Multiple Use Area are clustered in the north-central part of the county, not far from Pine Plains. Lafayetteville MUA contains 718 acres in a mix of open and forest habitat. State Route 199 bisects it between the Taconic State Parkway and state Route 82.

Stissing Mountain MUA provides 451 acres of rolling hills covered by brush to mixed hardwoods. It is about three miles south from Route 199 on Hicks Hill Road.

Roeliff-Jansen Kill MUA has 125 acres of mixed forest and overgrown fields. It can be accessed from a pull-off on the east side of the Taconic State Parkway.

For local information, contact Dutchess County Tourism, 3 Neptune Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601; call (800) 445-3131 or (914) 463-4000.

Although spring gobbler harvests in northern counties in regions 5 and 6, are well below the best Southern Tier counties, this does not mean there is a lack of good hunting.

St. Lawrence County spring gobbler hunters have taken an average of 222 birds during the past three years, with Oneida County's 224 gobblers and Jefferson County's 192 birds. In these counties, hunters should look first at public lands that are closest to working farmlands.

For more about turkey hunting in New York, including the 2004 hunting regulations, contact the NYSDEC, 50 Wolf Rd., Albany, NY 12233-4754; call (518) 457-4480.

For more about travel in New York, contact the New York State Division of Tourism (North America Group Travel), Empire State Development, Empire State Plaza, Concourse Level, Room 110, Albany, NY 12223; call (800) CAL-LNYS, Ext. 47624.