Pocahontas County accounted for 98 gobblers in 2005, a tad behind Randolph and its 118. Neither of these counties was in the upper echelons of the District III harvest parade; still, Ryan stated that both counties have the ability to offer a quality experience to sportsmen who aren't afraid to walk and climb.

Randolph contains a host of public lands, among them the Beaver Dam WMA (37,674 acres) and the Cheat WMA (80,771 acres). It also shares with various other counties the Otter Creek WMA (68,782 acres), Potomac WMA (139,786 acres) and Tea Creek WMA (67,919 acres). Several times, I also have driven to the Kumbrabow State Forest (9,165 acres) to engage in late-season hunts.

This public land is often snow covered early in the season, which means that it receives little hunting pressure then. A late-season visit, thus, is very much in order for birds that should still be available.

DISTRICT IV
Southeastern Counties
For District IV, once again, Ryan hedged his bets a little; but I can't blame him in that regard for I have killed turkeys in both of the counties he recommends.

"Monroe is a good choice, but I like Greenbrier, too," he said. "I know there are likely more birds in Monroe. I've just hunted in Greenbrier and it seems that the hunting is actually better there later in the year than it is earlier. I would actually prefer to hunt over there the last two weeks than I would early in the season. Remember our hunt and how many hens were still walking around that first Saturday in May?"

Ryan's reference is to a classic May duel that he and I had with a longbeard on top of one of the Neola WMA's many mountains. For over an hour, the biologist and I squared off with a mouthy tom on this 97,928-acre unit of the Monongahela National Forest. Unfortunately, a harem of hens accompanied the old boy, and we could never convince him to leave them. Finally, the entire assemblage disappeared, not to be heard of again that season. Can you imagine, said Ryan at the time, how many hens he must have had with him earlier in the season?

Earlier, I detailed my experiences in the 18,526-acre Potts Creek WMA in Monroe, so the public and private land in Greenbrier deserves some acclaim, too. In addition to the Neola WMA, this county also contains the Greenbrier State Forest (5,130 acres). Because this public land is so mountainous, many out-of-the-way hollows often contain unpressured birds. Generally, the private land farms in the western part of the county offer better hunting than the ones in the eastern reaches.

Last year, Monroe County accounted for 216 birds and Greenbrier 275. Neither of these counties came close to leading District IV (Summers with 388 paced the district). Still, all things considered, they both are topnotch destinations.

DISTRICT V
Western Counties
Chris Ryan quickly made up his mind when asked which county reigns supreme in District V.

"Mason is the best choice," was his blunt assessment.