What are you attributing the good hatch to versus the bad years??..... ……Did more dominant gobblers get to breed this year?.....Was it weather related??......Did predators have less impact?..... Things don’t happen “just because”……

I have owned my property for four years and have burned in late winter / early spring every year as well as no-till planted clovers heavy in all food plots along with cereal grains each fall that I leave standing all year.

I saw a hen with half a dozen or so poults last week and continue to see an increase in overall turkey sightings each year.
The above is what I attribute to the increase on my property.

Kill the Jakes first

Cycles cyclically cycling

Drumming counts are way up for grouse in WI

They don't but the combination of things can be attributed to "just because. Why would a well managed "optimal" property we deal with have an excellent hatch the same year that a "sub-prime" that we deal with? One has all the components and traps, the other is timber managed and both are burned. Both have good turkeys but the optimal has consistently higher densities. Both have good hatches in the same years. One just has more due to better habitat and predator control.

Ideal weather conditions lining up for both places (whatever that entails and impacts) ……Most other factors would be more site specific I would think.

There’s a lot factors that can be attributed to successful hatches, and it seems when several of them line up that hatches can be good across broad landscapes, both good and marginal habitats. That was actually discussed on the turkey boys podcast not long ago. I can’t speak for every property I’m seeing Turkey poults on, but in areas I’m familiar with they have been on frequent burn intervals, have relatively high percentage of forested stands with open canopies and have some degree of predator removal.

Trying to control predators, good habitat for nesting with food available, favorable weather , and luck 🍀? Watched a hen with 8 poults this morning.

We have been trapping and killing the piss out of coons.

What are those factors?.....Wouldnt the vast majority be weather or predation related at the root of it??....

What about the thriving population here by the Singing River bridge where all the unhuntable/untrappable TVA land land is.
From Wilson dam to O’Neal bridge is lots of deer and turkey. Coyotes and coons too, there’s only one predator not allowed. Lol

Its no different than all the areas that arent getting hunted that have zero turkeys…..That really isnt a factor in population growth.

Why don’t they have turkeys if it’s suitable habitat

I've trapped alot and have a couple fields planted they are hanging out in. They really like staying in the pasture by my dad's. The only other thing that I think has probably made a difference is our land borders another large property that is managed by a pretty good biologist. They have done alot of habitat work all geared towards quail, ducks and turkeys.

A friend of mine (retired bio) always said if your managing for a 4 inch tall bird everything above it benefits.

I think rotating thru early successional habitat is pretty strong for all of the critters.

Landscape level predator populations define what suitable means…… High levels of predation on hens/eggs/poults is the problem

Found a pile of poult feathers in an early successional area that was burned in late march or early April. The bird was in good brood cover the only thing that would have saved it is if there were no predators around. Good habitat supports predators and prey.
Trap those predators!