Could be a reason why.

I believe predators have alot to do with it. With no money in trapping anymore, very few people do it.

There isn't a single answer to the population issues. Yes, bobcats eat turkeys. So do coyotes, hawks, eagles, feral cats, you get the idea.

Spring weather is also a huge factor. Our weather patterns are shifting. Look at how many years that the cold wet time of late winter drags farther into April and even May now.

Farming practices also play a roll. Most operations have switched to running winter cover crops and spraying them early in the spring to plant no-till or just roto-chopper. Little to no bug cover means little to no bugs.

Then there are the seemingly never ending supply of nest robbers running around the woods these days. The best turkey population years we have had down our creek valley has been 2 springs after distemper hit the area and wiped out most of the raccoons and opossums.

It also doesn't help that toms are getting shot during the breeding season. There is a hierarchy in the turkey world and the hens don't just immediately jump to another bird to continue their breeding. Lower beginning egg counts each year doesn't help the odds of successful hatch and rearing.