For hot gobbler action, head to this tri-state area.

If you are of a math bent, you can trace a rough upside down triangle, positioning it at an angle across eastern Tennessee, western Virginia and southeastern West Virginia. If you did so, the triangle would fall across the Cherokee National Forest in the Volunteer State, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in the Old Dominion and West Virginia, and the Monongahela National Forest in the Mountain State.

The triangle might look more like a rectangle or a rhombus (I failed geometry in high school). But the point is that for the Southern hunter, this tri-state area offers some of the best spring gobbler action in the entire region.

In the past 3 years, I have called in and killed five gobblers from these public lands, and I confess I missed what would have been the sixth on the final day of West Virginia's season this past May. When I really want to experience a quality hunt, I head for the national forests in these three states.

Strategies for Hunting Birds In The Triangle
The common denominator in all three national forests is they are quite mountainous. When these lands were set aside decades ago, one of the reasons was because farming and livestock operations were so difficult on the steep slopes. Hunters should expect arduous climbing... Read Full Article