Mikey, I'm sure glad you posted. I have been listening (reading) about this stuff for so long that I just had to voice my opinion. Like you, I haven't had a "bad" season in more than 40 yrs. of hunting. I've shot deer every year I've hunted except for two. Back in "the day" it was thrilling to just get a shot at a deer, period. Years before they came up with the antler restrictions I had set my own standard and now it really doesn't make any difference. I know a bunch of people that hunt by ganging up on the thick stuff and driving every deer in there out to a stander who suddenly aren't getting any deer. I hunt those same areas and the deer are no longer bedding where they are pushing! It all boils down to knowing how to hunt deer or your not going to see and get deer.
All the land I hunt is open to the public. I don't and wont pay to hunt private property. I spend some time everyday of the year in the woods scouting and keeping tabs on the deer I hunt. Except for rifle season, I'm alone 100% of the time and guess who complains about the deer hunting?