Moving to the north of the Rutland area along Route 22A, try the Pond Woods WMA in Orwell and the Richville WMA in Shoreham. Actually, just about any parcel of land in the central region or the southern end of the state will hold a good supply of gobblers. You can just pick about any WMA or state forest and go for it -- the birds are waiting.

The turkey population is spread a bit thinner as you move to the more northern portions of Vermont, but gobblers are still available there in huntable numbers.

The season runs the month of May, and the spring bag limit is two bearded birds. Licenses cost $16 for residents, and $85 for non-residents. A required turkey tag costs an additional $17 and $25, respectively.

Additional information, including maps of WMAs, is available at the Web site www.vtfishandwildlife.com. The state also maintains an information line at (802) 241-3700. Tourist information is available at www.travel-vermont.com.

MASSACHUSETTS
As for distribution, generally the western end of the state will be the best bet to find a trophy. During the last spring season, Worcester County topped the chart for gobblers taken, with Berkshire and Franklin counties coming in second and third.

Massachusetts has a large number of public hunting areas to choose from. In the western district, a likely place for hunters to begin their search for a trophy is Peru State Forest, in particular, the Peru Wildlife Management Area in the towns of Peru and Windsor. This 4,729-acre parcel is made up of mostly northern hardwoods with some old apple orchards and meadows mixed in.

Access to the area is through several parking areas and pull-offs along Peru Road in Windsor and from both ends of Montague Road in Peru. There is also limited parking available at the lot at Tracy Pond off Middlefield Road in Peru.

Another excellent area is the Fisk Meadows and Chesterfield Wildlife Conservation Easement in Chesterfield. The WMA contains 580 acres, while the conservation easement covers an additional 490 acres. The WMA is mostly gently sloping land with a mix of hardwoods and softwoods. Pay particular attention to the section known as Ram Hill, as it is primarily hardwoods, with plenty of mast trees to concentrate the birds. Parking is available at the end of Old Chesterfield Road on the east side. There is also a log landing along Chesterfield Road that may be used for access.

Mount Washington State Forest in Mount Washington covers more than 3,200 acres. Next to it, the Jug End State Reservation and a WMA in Egremont add another 1,100 acres to hunt. Mount Washington is primarily hardwoods or mixed woods with gently sloping terrain, while the other portions contain mostly mixed forest, fields and steeper sloping land.

On the Mount Washington piece, parking is only permitted in the designated areas. Jug End has a parking spot off Jug End Road. Both areas are found west of state Route 41.

In the central district, check out the massive 10,557-acre Barre Falls Wildlife Management Area in the towns of Hubbardston, Oakham, Barre and Rutland. This enormous WMA contains hardwoods and meadows, with plenty of mast trees, such as oak and beech.

Other public areas that bear looking at are the Hawley State Forest and Conway State Forest. The state of Massachusetts makes life much easier for prospective hunters by publishing excellent downloadable maps of all the wildlife management areas on their Web site at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfw_wma.htm.