West Virginia Road Trip: The Appalachian Grand Slam

This fall should be a banner season for mast in West Virginia. An abundance of acorns and nuts will have the state’s squirrels busy this month. Turkeys too will be getting in on the feast. And with the added chance of flushing a few grouse, this is the perfect year for a mixed-bag road trip here. To help guide you to an Appalachian Slam, I got some local tips from Larry Case, a 35-year veteran of the state’s DNR–and a dedicated hunter.

Two for One
Drive to the old coal-company town of Terry where you’ll find the start of the Terry Top Trail. “An early-morning still-hunt in this little out-of-the-way spot takes you around some abandoned farmfields that are good places for squirrels, and maybe some grouse as well,” says Case. “Find the food to find the squirrels. By this time of year, they should be cut out of the hickories, so concentrate on whatever type of oak they might be using.”

The Final Piece
For your turkey, drive north to the Monongahela National Forest and the town of Richwood. “On the back side of Richwood, follow the road into a place called Handle Factory Hollow,” says Case. “Drive up there as far as you can and at the end of the road there’s a Forest Service gate. Get out there in the early morning and start up high where you can hear. Fall turkeys make more noise coming off the roost than they do all day.”