State Route 92 will also take you to the Neola WMA (97,928 acres) of the Monongahela National Forest, which Greenbrier shares with Pocahontas County. On many mornings in recent years, I have left home early and driven up SR 92 to hunt in the Monongahela National Forest. The key to finding these public-land birds is for hunters to climb fairly deep into the mountains or high onto a peak well before dawn. After reaching a listening post -- and I have several favorite ones -- I can then hark to the sounds of turkeys hopefully greeting the dawn. If no birds sound off at first light, I immediately return to an old tote road and visit as many listening posts to cover as much ground as possible while the turkeys are still on the roost.

Neola is one of many extremely mountainous units in the Monongahela, and some 90 percent of the public land is covered with oak-hickory-pine forests. The nature of the terrain is a major reason why you should plan on arriving early to make your ascent.

PRESTON COUNTY
As the third place finisher, Preston County recorded 125 birds last year, virtually matching the 126 total from 2003. From 2000 to 2002, the harvests were 119, 246 and 238, respectively. So Preston mirrored other Mountain State domains in the harvest decline department.

Unlike Monroe and Greenbrier counties, which have had four-week seasons in recent years, this northern West Virginia county traditionally has had a much shorter season. When that fact is taken into consideration, the harvests are seen in a much better light.

Kingwood is the county seat of Preston and some of the larger communities include Rowlesburg, Tunnelton, Fellowsville, Brandonville and Bruceton Mills. However, larger is a relative word because Preston is very much a rural county. Several times, for instance, I have finished a hunt just outside of Bruceton Mills and later been "downtown" just a few minutes afterward.

The great variety of habitat in this District I county has been well chronicled in this magazine. On any given farm, expect to encounter brushy fields, pastures, wood lots, patches of forest and various crops. These farms can offer superlative hunting. Routes 72, 92, 26 and 7 are good ones to cruise when you are looking for places to hunt.

The major public land in Preston is the Coopers Rock State Forest (12,698 acres), which it shares with Monongalia County. One of the most spectacular views I have ever witnessed while turkey hunting was when I stood on a rock outcropping in the Coopers Rock State Forest and looked down upon the Cheat River, which forms the public land's southwestern border. Coopers Rock provides high-country hunting in a heavily forested setting.

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY
Holding down the No. 4 position is Hampshire County with 122 birds. This eastern county in District II actually experienced a harvest increase, albeit a small one, as the kill rose from the 2003 tally of 116. The harvests from 2000 to 2002 were 76, 138 and 139, respectively.

Romney is the county seat and population center, yet just outside of this community lies a very rural countryside. The South Branch of the Potomac flows through Romney and on a float trip this past summer, I marveled at the many farms and wood lots along the stream in the Greater Romney area. Take routes 50, 220 and 28 if you have a hankering to visit some of those farms in order to possibly gain permission to hunt them.

Other towns in Hampshire County include Green Spring, Springfield, Capon Bridge, Barnes Mill, Millesons Mill, Forks of Cacapon and Creekvale. Even the casual reader will note that water is the common theme in all these place names. And Hampshire County is certainly an area that features numerous streams. In addition to the South Branch, other important streams include the Cacapon and Potomac rivers and scores of their tributaries.