I think the point about nesting success (and corresponding poult survival) in years prior to any hunting season can't be emphasized enough in these kinds of discussions. Those states that have conditions wherein nesting success is consistent will generally have good, reliable hunting regardless of the amount of hunting pressure.
Those states that do not have consistent nesting success,...and especially those states that more recently have had several consecutive years of nest failure,...are going to have crappy turkey hunting whether there are more or fewer hunters participating, and whether they are residents or nonresidents.
The bottom line is that the solution to poor turkey hunting lies in wildlife managers solving the problems related to nesting success vs failure. Until that is accomplished, turkey populations in those places will continue to go downhill regardless of hunting pressure. Blaming (scientifically-regulated) hunting of wild turkeys for population declines is the proverbial "fools errand".
