Amazing how difficult it is to understand that the DNCR should only provide a MINIMAL framework to insure the wildlife resources flourish and that people play nice with each other and let the landowners manage their lands as lenient or as strict as they want withing the MINIMAL framework set forth by the DNCR.
We had that until about 10 or so years ago.
For a handful of years..... Before that it was a free for all on bucks with limitations on does. Now it's a free for all on does, with limitations on bucks. The current regs are likely the least limiting ever, except for those few years where it was a free for all on bucks and does.
Then add in the zones, days for doe season in certain areas, forced game check, writing kills down on a piece of paper,requiring a pencil or pen to be on the person when they are hunting, ad nauseum, etc.
Clem was right it used to be that way, probably before a lot of today's "hunters" were old enough to "hunt" and there were apparently more deer. I wouldn't hesitate to say that the same people that are complaining today about there not being any deer are the same ones that were complaining that there were too many does 10 years ago.
Part of the lenient framework would be to set the bag limit for the game animals to flourish, if a landowner wanted to restrict that even further the they are more than able too. If the landowner needs to increase that limit they could request that from the DCNR. Pretty easy really.
