Need to know what are the best practices for improving wild turkey habitat on my land. It isn't much to work with, only 68acres. We usually have a one or two gobblers there during spring, and several hens that look to nest on it.

During summer July/August, all we get trail cam pics of are single hens, that have usually grouped up to 8-10 birds that I guess had nest or brood failures in the area.

We have owned this property for 8 years, and have never seen a poult on it. I I have found one nest, but on accident. I do not go through looking for them on purpose, because i know they are there.

It is along the Southern Tennessee border in Giles county, which is the area that has seemed to experience a real population decline the past decade.

We used to have brood cows on it, fed them grain, and of course it helped to see turkeys, but did not help like we wanted it to, plus nesting was still a failure. Two years ago, we hooked up with NRCS, and got some trees planted. Looks like all of them have died, and I really do not want to go through that again. I was optimistic that tree planting in red/white oak, pecan, sawtooth, overcup, and shortleaf pine would increase our nesting habitat once they got tall enough to provide arial cover, and with the grasses that grow up in between and under them.

We plant all the foodplots we can, with red, white, and crimson clovers, along with wheat, rye, oats anfld other stuff to help cover the soil during winter. Clovers normally do good every spring, attracting hens and gobblers.

We have been "strip discing" the edge off foodplots and roads, which it looks to be very beneficial for the turkeys to dust and to forage for grubs and insects.

To wrap up, what do yall think my best bet would be to get better nesting success?

I kill all predators and armidillos whenever possible by the way, and trapping just isn't a feasible option for me now, for I do not have enough time.

Thanks for yall's input.

Also, it is about 40 acres of woods and 25 some odd acres of pasture, or what used to be where we seedlings.
About 1/4 of the woods is a cedar thicket with red and chinkapin oak mixed in. Another 1/4 or so of the woods is pure garbage hackberry, my worst favorite tree on the planet, while the remaining is pretty mature hardwoods with mainly hickory and red maple, but a few red, white, and chinkapin oak, and a few other common hardwood trees like popular and walnut.

Thanks again.