Turkey populations based off terrain

[BuckNazty]

I've hunted birds in about a dozen different states and just about every terrain feature there is. In my opinion, there always seems to be better populations in areas of a mountainous or foothill characteristic. Whether it be western Marriams or easterns in Missouri foothills or eastern Tn and surrounding states. It makes sense that there's a less likely chance of nests getting washed out in these area but I'm wondering if nest predators are also limited in these areas due to terrain features. I'm not sure if any research has been done on this but it definitely seems like this to be the case based off my personal experiences. Thoughts?

 

[Iglow]

Seems the flatter the land, the more life there is. Guess that means more egg eaters too

 

[catman529]

It varies across the board really. I prefer hunting in the hills, but even some areas of hill country don't have many birds, and some areas of flat land have plenty of birds. There's no straight answer really

 

[megalomaniac]

I'm not sure it's as much elevation as variety of different habitats coming together in close proximity. Sometimes just a variation in half of an acre can be attractive, especially if the trifecta is nearby (roost trees, water, cover). Habitat diversity usually means better food sources.

 

[SpurChaser]

I think something that might play into that is the habitat diversity that comes along with the topographical changes. In places like the East Tennessee hills, there is ample amounts of running water that provide nutrients to plants year-round, which in turn creates better food sources. This might be kind of a stretch, but it's the first thing that came to mind for me.

I can personally attest to the lack of birds in flat coastal areas like Eastern North Carolina. Only killed one bird in three years of living there. And the one I killed was right next to a little creek that ran year round.

Good luck this season!