Hanging Bog and the associated state forests are north of Cuba in western Allegany County. Approaching from Cuba, take Route 305, and at the hamlet of Lyons Corners, hunters will find the first of several unpaved roads that lead to these properties. The first is Crab Hollow Road, which leads fairly straight into the western sector of the WMA. By following Crab Hollow, where it forks left, you will be able to drive through the interior of Crab Hollow State Forest. The next two roads going north from Route 305 are New Hudson and Brown, and both lead into Hanging Bog. Farther along 305, Cloverleaf Road winds its way to the northeast corner of the WMA and Rush Creek State Forest. Hunters approaching from the north should reverse these directions, using Route 305 south from the village of Belfast.

TIOUGHNIOGA WMA
Although Tioughnioga is an old favorite of those who tramp the uplands for grouse in western and central New York, it has earned its place as a public hunting area that's good for grouse. It is about six miles southeast of Cazenovia in Madison County, along a row of hills that are the drainage divide between the St. Lawrence and Susquehanna rivers. Even at an elevation of 2,000 feet, these might be classified as rolling hills and, for a change, beating through the brushy covers here is not as difficult as several of the areas listed in this article.

Tioughnioga WMA covers a total of 3,605 acres, and a recent inventory revealed a pattern of 38 percent old or brushy fields, 37 percent hardwood forest, 20 percent conifer plantations, and 5 percent miscellaneous. Maintenance of the area and continued habitat improvement operations are financed not only by license sales, but also from some federal funding and sale of forest products.

Access from Cazenovia and state Route 20 is by way of Route 13 south to the village of New Woodstock, then east on county Route 52 (Damon Road), which runs through the center of Tioughnioga to the hamlet of Erieville.

Hunters arriving on Route 20 from the east should turn south at Morrisville on Eaton Street and then branch right on Eagleville Road to West Eaton, where they may use Eaton Brook Road to Erieville, and Damon Road to access the property. County Route 60 (Dugway Road) from Erieville crosses the southern portion of Tioughnioga, and local roads provide additional access.

PHARSALIA WMA
The gently sloping landscape of northern Chenango County is the location of Pharsalia's 4,625 acres, which were once intensively farmed but for many decades have been managed for wildlife habitat. In fact, Pharsalia was the state's first game refuge, purchased in 1926 with money from hunting and fishing licenses. This was another site where early ruffed grouse studies were carried out on the bird then known as the "king of upland game birds" before the widespread stocking of pheasants began and decades before wild turkeys were reintroduced.

As refuge policies were eventually changed over to multipurpose management, Pharsalia became the model for the others to follow. Current operations on the area are aimed at improving habitat for various species but particularly deer, turkeys and grouse.

Pharsalia is about 10 miles northwest of Norwich and an equal distance southwest of Sherburne, with state Route 23 bordering portions of the area's west and south sides. Various local roads provide additional access, including Johnson Street, Elmer Jackson Road and Pigeon Hill Road. The Finger Lakes Trail also runs through the property.

The DEC's regional offices can supply more information on these and other public hunting areas and frequently offer free leaflets with maps. For more information on western New York's November grouse hunting, call the Cortland office at (607) 753-3095, Ext. 247, the Avon office at (585) 226-5380, or the Allegany office at (716) 372-0645.