Happy Valley is different from Connecticut Hill, however, for the terrain is generally flat with areas of poor drainage. Seven waterfowl marshes have been developed on the property. The majority of the WMA is classified as upland, however, ranging between 600 and 700 feet above sea level, with the topography characterized by numerous sandy knolls. Located between Lake Ontario and the uplands of Tug Hill, this area receives plenty of precipitation, especially snow.

Wildlife management practices here include old-field maintenance, mowing, prescribed burning, creation of green border strips and tree and shrub cuttings to encourage new growth. Timber stand improvement cuttings are carried out on the areas of native hardwoods and conifer plantations.

Happy Valley's 8,645 acres are north of Syracuse in eastern Oswego County. Take Interstate Route 81 for approximately 23 miles to Exit 34, and then turn east on Route 104 for about four miles to the WMA. Route 104 runs along the northern border of the property, with county Route 62 defining the southern boundary.

Town roads and some maintenance roads, which are seasonal, along with hiking trails, provide access for hunters. Motorized vehicles are restricted to town and county roads.

LITTLEJOHN WMA
Littlejohn WMA might be considered a twin to Happy Valley in that its location, size and terrain are nearly identical.

Littlejohn has not received the more intensive grouse habitat improvement work carried out at Happy Valley, but it receives less hunting pressure and that is considered a plus these days. Consequently, Littlejohn is more heavily forested, with fewer roads and trails.

This WMA offers 8,020 acres of public hunting approximately 45 miles north of Syracuse and 25 miles south of Watertown, in Oswego and Jefferson counties. Take Exit 38 (Lacona-Sandy Creek) off I-81, turn east on county Route 15 and travel for about eight miles, and then north on county Route 17, which hits the western edges of the property. (Route 17 changes to Route 92 in Jefferson County.)

Littlejohn Road off Route 17 provides access to the southern end of the property, and Blounts Mills Road, also off Route 17, leads to the interior of the WMA. County Route 95 in Jefferson County crosses the northern sector, which is interspersed with some private in-holdings, which means a scouting trip or two will be necessary to hunt Littlejohn effectively.

RATTLESNAKE HILL WMA
Although it's in the Southern Tier hill country, Rattlesnake Hill's terrain is not typically rugged and steep but is more rolling as the landscape trends toward the agricultural lands of the Finger Lakes region. Two-thirds of the WMA's 5,100 acres are in southern Livingston County, with the remainder in Allegany County. Ossian State Forest, with 1,303 acres, adjoins Rattlesnake Hill on the southeast corner, and just a couple of long grouse flushes to the east, Canaseraga State Forest provides another 1,287 acres of public hunting coverts.

As is the case with most WMAs, the DEC's upland land managers strive to provide a varied habitat for as many wildlife species as possible, and at Rattlesnake Hill hunters will find an interesting blend of mature woodlands, overgrown fields, conifer plantations, old apple orchards and open meadows.

Management is not so intensive on the Ossian and Canaseraga state forests, but regular thinning operations and timber harvesting do create various stages of growth.

Rattlesnake Hill is south of Rochester about eight miles west of Dansville. Take Exit 5 from I-390 and from Route 436, turn southwesterly on Route 9, which leads to the property. Route 70, south from the village of Dalton, clips the southwest corner of the WMA, and Ebert Road and Dannack Hill Road cut across the property.