I don't think that the 'opposite' has been happening. I think what you seeing is them just looking for market share, each of the manufacturers have decided to add a recurve to their lineup to appeal to , as Horton calls it :" for those who demand modern, dynamic performance but crave classic recurve design". I don't think there are, in general, very popular with hunters down south. Excalibur has been selling their bows down there for years and have limited success.