Marshall contains one of the newer public lands in the Mountain State, the Cecil H. Underwood WMA (2,072 acres), which the county shares with Wetzel. The Underwood WMA is located 10 miles south of Cameron on U.S. Route 250. Fish Creek runs through this public land and provides some excellent bottomland habitat. Other features of this WMA include oak-hickory forest, wildlife clearings and rolling hills up to elevations of 1,510 feet. Curtis Taylor speaks highly of the turkey population in this county.

"Marshall has fairly diverse wildlife habitat, and that is one of the reasons why the county has a lot of birds. Woodlands, pastures and croplands exist in Marshall - everything that turkeys need. This is a county that perennially ranks high when the category is turkeys killed by square mile of habitat."

I had the pleasure of turkey hunting several mornings in Marshall with Peck Martin of McMechen, and one morning we heard seven different toms sound off at dawn. The other morning, we "only" heard three or four different birds. This is yet another county where hunters who aren't shy about knocking on farmhouse doors can gain access to some fantastic hunting.

"If you were to visit the McClintic WMA for the first time, your first impression might be that the habitat certainly doesn't look like what turkeys would prefer. McClintic has a lot of multiflora rose, quite a few ponds and few stands of mature timber. Yet McClintic also has a very good turkey population because of its diverse habitat. McClintic is generally regarded as having the most diverse habitat of any WMA in West Virginia."

In fact, this public land contains approximately 600 acres of farmland, 1,100 acres of brushy fields, 180 acres of wetlands, 31 ponds and 1,775 acres of mixed hardwoods. Rustic campsites are available for the sportsman who likes to spend the night under the stars before going turkey hunting.

Mason County as a whole features numerous farms, creek bottomlands and rolling hillsides. Turkey populations are often excellent on these farms.

Jackson County contains one fair- sized public land, the 2,735-acre Frozen Camp WMA, plus a smaller public parcel - the 1,700-acre Woodrum WMA. U.S. Route 33 and county Route 28 are the primary access roads for Frozen Camp. The WMA is known for its hilly terrain, creek bottoms and wooded terrain. Woodrum WMA has much the same habitat, but it also possesses some abandoned farms and 240-acre Woodrum Lake.

Some of the best private-land hunting in Jackson County is found along the Ohio River bottomlands that characterize its western half. Corn fields, pastures and mixed wood lots are found in ample amounts along the Ohio, and this is the part of the county that many sportsmen try to gain access to. However, marvelous hunting exists throughout Jackson.

One of my favorite public lands to go turkey hunting on is the 18,289-acre Stonewall Jackson WMA in Jackson County. This public land does not have the diversity of habitat that McClintic does, but it certainly has plenty of variety. Overgrown farmland, rolling hills, mixed hardwoods and numerous wildlife openings all exist on this central West Virginia public land.

As a whole, the habitat in Lewis County is not unlike that found on the WMA. I have also hunted private land in this county and found the hills, creek bottoms and hardwood forests to contain plenty of birds.

Ritchie County contains the Ritchie Mines WMA (2,300 acres) in the southwestern portion of the county. Ritchie Mines is largely wooded. Macfarlan Creek creates bottomland habitat. State routes 17, 47 and 30 will take you to this public land.

Both counties have a pleasing mix of forestland, farms and cattle concerns. And both counties obviously offer outstanding private-land hunting.

Curtis Taylor says that Tyler is one of the least forest-covered counties in West Virginia, as about 70 percent of the domain is in trees. This lack of heavily wooded habitat, continues the biologist, is a major reason why the county has so many turkeys. The varied habitat is good at producing turkey menu items when the hard-mast crop fails. Monongalia has the same pleasing mixture of farms, scattered wood lots and creek bottoms that the other Northern Panhandle and northern West Virginia counties claim.

The 2,065-acre Jug WMA is the major public land in Tyler County. State routes 46 and 7 offer access. The Jug proffers rolling countryside, numerous fields and a nice proportion of pine forests and mixed hardwoods. Some of the best hunting occurs along the bottomlands adjacent to Middle Island Creek. The countryside in the private land portion of the county is quite similar.

Monongalia County claims the 2,000-acre Snake Hill WMA as its own. County routes 75 and 75/2 offer access. The Snake Hill WMA lies in the Cheat River Canyon, so that part of this public land features dauntingly steep countryside. This WMA is heavily forested, as oak-hickory and bottomland stands predominate. The county as a whole has a number of small farms, checkerboard-style wood lots and some cattle operations.

Writing this article has been an illumination for me. I will continue to study the overall harvest figures by county, as that information is certainly valuable. But from now on, I will also want to scrutinize the kill by square mile table, as well. There is more than one way to determine whether a county might be worth a visit, and Curtis Taylor just happens to believe that the kill per square mile is the best way. Certainly knowing more about the turkey harvest for any county is a help for sportsmen planning excursions for the 2004 spring gobbler season.