BhamFred, not to dispute you at all - but I do have a question ... I've shared hunting in West Texas -- basically, the desert ... It was so rocky, dry, arid, etc. & the scrub brush live oaks were hardly "roost trees" at all the birds roosted on power lines/poles ... It always made me wonder how the hell those Rio's survived -- but apparently, they did ... there were ample birds to hunt ...

my Q is - are our Easterns less hardy? are Rio's just tougher/meaner & can make it by eating rocks? there's NO doubt that clear cutting & habitat change (around me) is making an impact on the flocks -- no doubt about that in my mind, even more so than predation, flooding, farmer spraying/scattering what-not, blah blah blah ... Like you, i've long contended that habitat makes the most critical impact on turkey populations - so much so that i don't hunt w/some folks anymore

although deer related - watch The Back 40 by MeatEater - pretty much, their sole focus was habitat change -- it was amazing what changes they made & what major impacts/improvements it made in a relatively very short period of time ...

Last edited by BamaGuitarDude; 04/15/21 12:25 PM.
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.