Shaman,
You've got several things working against you. Like said, Coyotes hurt them pretty bad. But Ky. fish & game told me that the Ground hogs contracted some sort of disease a decade or two back that hurt their numbers as well.
Then, they never seemed to favor especially hilly country such as Bracken Co.. Maybe they were there in numbers at one time & I just didn't know where to look .
They are coming back, but at a slow pace. And, they seem to live near good cover, heavy woods, old buildings, barns etc. more than they used to. Having adapted a bit to the coyotes I suppose.
