Fort Stewart in Georgia is the largest military reservation east of the Mississippi River at 279,000 acres or roughly 435 square miles. The base was closed to turkey hunting until 1977. It was a nature preserve loaded with turkeys, quail and deer. I remember the days before turkey hunting was allowed it was nothing to shoot a limit of quail with good dogs. Turkeys were never re-introduced; in fact, the turkeys were cannon netted for transplant in turkey starved areas of Georgia. The military has been a good steward of the land; timber is selectively cut and the base has some of the largest stands of old growth longleaf pine in the world; not virgin, but old growth. The military burns the woods religiously, not to say virgins are put on pyres of fat lighter and set on fire in sacrifice. The quail numbers have been in decline for decades; can't blame the turkeys as their numbers are thinned out on a regular basis and they have always been there. One longtime quail hunter blames decline on Coastal Bermuda grass taking over the ranges and woods--young quail can't move through it. Coyotes, hogs, fire ants, and whatever are blamed for the decline. I don't think anyone can say for certainty, but it sure isn't overkill by hunters. I hear bobs in the spring with their signature call, but finding them in the season is another matter. Gil