Fur prices crashed way earlier than some of y’all know or remember. The bottom of the market fell out by 1985, 35+ years ago, when Europeans (especially Germans) all but ceased importing furs. While it’s a popular notion, I can assure you the trapping declined that followed didn’t result in an explosion of predators in AL. Trapping in these parts just wasn’t pervasive or intensive—even back then— to control predator populations on a widespread basis.

Intensive predator hunting and trapping may help turkeys, but don’t blame their slump on the lack of a fur market. It ain’t that simple.