i been thinking about that lately...i have an "enviromental problems" class...and were on the subject of population...talked about the rabbit cycle..it will rise until its at its max for the area..then they willALL die or whatever...and restart....i guess predation and hunting is about all that will get a turkey after it hatches and makes it out of its young life....i never shot a "skinny" turkey...though i guess it could happen?...i think the flocks grow to an amount that the area can hold..and they keep it there....the elephant cycle reaches its max for the area..and then fluxuates slightly to above and below the max...(man i really do pay attention in class!) wonder what the turkey cycle REALLY is....in your case though.....id say they moved to a diffrent food source...i have a hotspot in the spring....at the trail end i can stand there day break in the spring and hear 20 diffrent birds sounding off...every year i try to find them in the fall and cant find a trace of them....no scratchings..no birds..nothing....then winter ill find them back in the same area....still trying to put that puzzle together....i made giant 4-5hr loops looking for them and their sign many times this fall and couldnt find them...winter i was deer hunting and they were back....not the WHOLE flock....but about 10-15 of them....scout scout scout....youll find the sign....then go in early and listen for them and locate their roosting site.....maybe ill talk to my professor and see where he found the cycles of rabbits and elephants...or he just knows that stuff.....pretty neat stuff...interesting class...