Though white-tailed deer reign supreme as Pennsylvania's top game animal, many hunters pursue small game species, as well.

Whether you prefer deer, cottontails, squirrels or ruffed grouse, hunter success often reflects the time and effort put into preparation. Among the most important bits of information to know is the status of the food supply where you plan to hunt.

Estimates of wildlife populations and fall food supplies are published on the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site (www.pgc.state.pa.us). Click on "Field Officer Forecasts" to get started. This year's projections are encouraging in some areas, guarded in others.

Following last year's successful grouse hunt, Game Commission biologists expect ruffed grouse hunting to be below average in regional pockets as a result of unfavorable weather during nesting season.

The Southwest Region is subdivided into four Land Management Groups. The Land Management Group 1 report (Washington, Beaver, Greene and Allegheny counties) rates hunting prospects as "excellent" for rabbits, squirrels, turkeys and deer. It describes, "a bumper crop this year for all mast producers."

The Land Management Group 2 report (Armstrong, Indiana, and Westmoreland) rates prospects for rabbits as "good." Squirrels, turkey, and deer get an "excellent" rating. And, "Overall, mast is good."

In Land Management Group 3, (Indiana and Cambria), hunting potential as uniformly "good." Soft mast including fruits and berries, "all yielded bumper crops from mid to late summer," and white and red oaks "appear to be having an average year at best."

Finally, the Land Management Group 4 report (Fayette and Somerset) describes rabbits as "abundant," and prospects for squirrels and turkeys as "excellent." Deer "numbers are still down from where they once were, but many nice bucks have been seen." The soft mast crop is rated as "excellent," hickory nuts appear to be good, but the white oak acorn crop may be poor."

This information is a great place to start, but these evaluations are estimates based on observations by biologists, land managers and foresters.

"Statewide, the mast crop is good," said Jerry Feaser, spokesman for the PGC, "but these estimates are generalizations. And when food supplies are plentiful, wildlife will be more widely dispersed."

The take-home lesson is that hunters should scout their favorite hunting spots to assess food supplies in those specific locations. Find food, and you'll find wildlife.

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