Otting Tract, Crockford-Pigeon Mountain and Pine Log WMAs took the top three spots for harvest per square mile at 1.83, 1.44 and 1.03, respectively.

Crockford-Pigeon Mountain provided the best overall opportunity in the Ridge and Valley last season, placing high in both categories and offering hunters 16,418 acres to roam. The harvest total on this area was up 15.67 from last season, despite 23 fewer hunters signing in. This rugged area is located in the far northwestern corner of the state, near LaFayette.

Within the region, nine different areas yielded hunter success rates that exceeded the statewide average. Twenty produced higher harvests per square mile than the statewide average, partly because of the high number of hunters who use Piedmont WMAs. More than 6,300 hunters signed in to hunt turkeys on this region's WMAs last season.

Top areas for hunter success were Rum Creek, Clybel, Blanton Creek and Fishing Creek. Rum Creek produced a very impressive hunter success rate of 36.36 percent, and Clybel was not too far behind, at 20.37 percent. Blanton Creek and Fishing Creek both registered more than 10 percent hunter success.

Top areas for harvest per square mile in the Piedmont were Blanton Creek, Joe Kurz, Allatoona, Sheffield, Rum Creek and Chattahoochee River Park. Allatoona, the largest of those, at 9,300 acres, posted a 33 percent increase in its total harvest from two seasons ago. Only Blanton Creek, which spreads over 4,758 acres on the lower Chattahoochee River, showed up near the top of both lists. Blanton Creek is open for limited dates during the season, with a mix of quota and sign-in hunts.

Top areas for hunter success last year were McGraw Ford, Dukes Creek/Smithgall Woods and Warwoman WMAs, with success rates of 34.62, 18.6 and 16.92 percent, respectively. The same three WMAs also took the top three spots in terms of harvest per square mile. McGraw Ford was easily the best, with a harvest of 2.4 birds per square mile, followed by Dukes Creek/Smithgall Woods, at 1.14, and Warwoman, at .89.

McGraw Ford, the smallest WMA in the mountains, is located near Ball Ground on the Etowah River. Dukes Creek/Smithgall Woods, which is fairly small (4,500 acres) and specially managed, is open only limited days during turkey season. It offers a mix of quota and general sign-in hunts. Warwoman WMA, which is situated in the far northeastern corner of the state, is fairly large (15,800 acres) and extremely rugged. Last year's total harvest on Warwoman was up 120 percent from the previous year.

Top areas for hunter success were Dixon Forest, Altamaha, Tuckahoe and Bullard Creek WMAs, with Dixon having produced a hunter success rate of 14.1 percent and the other three all coming in with success rates of more than 10 percent. Top spots in this region for harvest per square mile were Bullard Creek, at 1.01; Tuckahoe, at .89; and Moody Forest, at .55.

Bullard Creek and Tuckahoe, which scored high in both categories, provide an abundance of opportunity. Bullard Creek covers 13,883 acres along the Altamaha River. Tuckahoe covers 15,105 acres along the Savannah. Both are open throughout turkey season.