RE: NYSDEC is a joke
Sorry you had such a bummer year Atlasman, I think when the year is said and done - the deer take will be down. In the most adversely effected areas - I think the DEC has already taken steps to increase the herd next year - and hopefully in your area - in a few years - things will get back to normal for you too.
Most folks that know me on on this website know that we plant some pretty serious food plots at our property. But the property is only 200 acres and hunted by 4-10 guys (not always the same ones either) for 8 weeks straight. The hunting pressure here is intense - more than on the public land I drive by every day - bya lot. Still we saw dozens and dozens of does the last weeks of Gun and BP - in 7M where no Doe Permits were issued. The deer come to where the food is when the Snow flys.
What is reality - is that the surrounding properties - cannot even support their does and fawns in Early Winter - for lack of food - and too many deer per acre. So - they come to ours. We protect alot of deer for the last several weeks of the season - by only hunting the plots - not the woods.
Its not like it was in the 70s and 80s when you had a bunch of 200-500acre dairy farmers - and food everywhere. So many areas that used to be able to support 30-40 deer per square mile - cannot support even 20 now.
FH