Ooh, ooh, I know the answer to this one! The yankee cities don't have rednecks who would shoot a gobbler off a neighbor's lawn without thinking twice about it. You will not live long enough to see it get to the point that any of those AL cities don't have people willing to do that. Turkey hunting is ingrained into our culture and some will do anything to kill one.

My son-in-law lives in Mobile and a couple years ago a friend called him and said there was a gobbler on his lawn. It was in February and turkey season wasn't even in, but within an hour a guy had shot the turkey with a 22 rifle. The turkey got away and became coyote bait, but that was the end of his urban adventure.

This can't be happening in the cities with a turkey problem. If it did, they would quickly decide to move back to the country. Turkeys learn quickly where places are that they are safe and have plenty of food. If that's in a town, why wouldn't they live there? All it would take to end it is a few of them getting shot.

If you drive to Birmingham on 280 you can see geese on lawns that are ignoring thousands of people and cars. They do that because nobody has ever shot them there. If they were turkeys, there are people in this forum who would figure out how to kill one and get away with it.

I don't think this is all that complicated. Somewhere around these cities is good nesting habitat and poults are being produced. The adult turkeys go to where they have food and safety. If they are safer in town, that's where they will go.