TN is on the right track but they need to include more that just the five extreme western counties in the proposal for the bag limit reduction. I hunt Carroll county every year and the population there is definitely lower than what it was five or six years ago.
I’m not a believer in this trend being helpful. Want a more robust flock? Shoot less males at a different time you say? Sure, that might work. How about trapping? How about burning? How about forest management? How about weather? How about education on all of the above???
I’m sad to say this is just as was mentioned above- hunter dissatisfaction, causing a change.
I've seen a slew of poults the last 2 weeks. It pretty much matches what I saw on cameras early to mid March. I saw one hen with no tail feathers. I assume she was attacked on nest maybe. I would guess 70% of the hens I've had in camera range have poults over the last 2 weeks. I live in Georgia though.