The advantages of this mountain county grouse connection is that there are so many places to try in the public domain, but you'd need several lifetimes to do it.

The Monongahela National Forest provides over 900,000 acres alone. In the past decade or so, the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge and the Canaan Valley Institute have acquired nearly 20,000 additional Tucker County acres.

Director Jezioro advised that the vast Dolly Sods segment of the Monongahela always carries a few grouse and may be underestimated for its migrant woodcock potential earlier in the season. Equally vast is the rhododendron cover of the Canaan Mountain Loop Road, one mountain range to the east of the Canaan Valley itself.

A sampling of these coverts, even if for just one hunt, puts you in the footsteps of George "Bird" Evans. He penned many books on his grouse ventures there.

Both the Sods and Loop roads are accessible from state Route (SR) 32 through Canaan Valley. For assistance, drop by the Canaan Valley Store, which is a DNR game check station and license vendor as well. They also carry a nice stash of local USGS topographical maps if you need one. The Sods is also accessible from the east along SR 28.

If you become snowed out of this high-elevation terrain, you can drop down a notch to the previously mentioned wildlife refuge. More famous for its woodcock, the refuge edge country and aspen copses still carry a bird or two. In addition, most of its upland northern hardwood turf was logged heavily prior to the acquisitions of the last decade or so. Hawthorn, wild raisin and alder patches lace the wetlands.

To hunt the refuge, a free permit is required. You can get one by calling (304) 866-3858 or stopping by the main headquarters along SR 32 just up the road north from the Canaan Valley State Resort Park entrance.

The Canaan Valley Institute does not require a permit. But you can pick up a free map at kiosks along SR 32 just south and around the town of Davis; or stop by at their local headquarters a couple more miles north at Thomas.

For another slightly lower elevation yet venturesome national forest trek, try the Middle Mountain Road. This road extends from the tiny town of Wymer along SR 55 in Tucker County southward some 30 miles to Thornwood in Pocahontas County. Be sure to check local weather conditions first.

The U.S. Forest Service's Monongahela National Forest headquarters is located at Elkins, a major hub to this high country. You can pick up some nice general maps of the forest, as well as more specific USGS maps with forest ownership emphasized. The Elkins office is just to the north of the horsebacked Henry Gassaway Davis statue in town along SR 55.

You can call the Monongahela headquarters for local weather conditions or other info at (304) 636-1800. The DeLorme gazetteer is always a big plus for the in-between USGS, general forest service and state road maps. These road atlases of West Virginia are available at many sporting goods outlets and can be ordered through www.mapstore.delorme.com.

Another option in the non-national forest category along this recovering grouse and eastern spine or front is Mead-Westvaco land. Note that some parcels are already leased and thus not available. However, they still maintain some general hunting areas two-year permits, which are processed out of the Rupert office. For a long-term lease or two-year permit info, contact that office at (304) 392-6373.