In south central MI where I grew up, I would say there are overall fewer deer than 10 years ago. My success is a lot better than 10 years ago but that has little to do with the area improving. There seems to be more hunters than ever, both archery and gun. Crossbows have gotten a lot more people in the woods, which is both good and bad. Loss of habitat etc. EHD from a few years back really took a heavy toll in some areas.
However, there is a very slow change happening from the complete mentality of shoot anything that moves, to waiting for a better deer to come by. So there is a little hope left. Definitely lots of "Brown its Down" still though. Most of my family still shoots anything that walks by. A lot of guys in their 20's or 30's that I know are self proclaimed big buck hunters, whether or not they are is still up for debate. Very few really are. I do not claim to be. There are some big bucks shot around here every year, but very few people do it with any sort of regularity. All the hunting pressure and lack of access make getting even one a very tall task. There is almost no public land around these parts, and most of the private is already buttoned up pretty tight. It wasn't always like that. Most of the people that do shoot big ones every year have large chunks of family land. Or are lucky enough to be in one of the areas where neighbors are more selective. I don't fall into either of those groups lol. I don't have exclusive access to any property here. I am thankful for what I do have, but I do have to share it.
I do think there is less poaching now than there was, as more guys watch whatever little slice of land they have closer than ever. Or the poaching is at least a lot more discreet than when I was younger. Just my two cents.
[ Post made via iPhone ]