I don't think anyone is trying to say that limited access can protect deer.However,if you have 15 huys hunting on 160 acres,you're seeing way more pressure on that 160 acres than any public land in the nc region of the state sees.In my experience the most heavily posted land gets hunted much harder than most of the public land in the northern part of the state.Small areas can certainly be overharvested but if the habitat is good,the deer will be back.I can show you an area that is around 200 acres.Part of it is owned by a timber company and the rest is owned by a farmer.All of it is open to the public.This past summer Iwatched a bachelor herd of 16 bucks for weeks in the farmers fields along with at least that many does and fawns.this is actually typical for this spot.I have some friends whose houses border this area and they only know of about 2 bucks that were killed.This area gets driven about twice a day for the first couple of days and re-driven on both saturdays.It gets pounded.I was in there a couple weeks ago and never cut a single track.Were all the deer killed?No way.there's just no reason for them to be in there now but I'll guarantee those fields will be full during the summer.

Ihunt private property near my mothers house in Wyoming county.It's posted heavily but it gets pounded much harder than the public land out here.I rearely even hunt the private land in Clearfield county because there's way too many people.

The habitat on the public land near Greenwood road and Around rockton mountain is some of the most pitiful areas of the state.I can't tell you what the habitat looks like on any of that private land because I've never been on it.However,the deer only get bothered on Moshannon state forest for about two weeks of the year.If the habitat wasn't any better on that private land,the deer wouldn't be spendingall their time on that property for the remainder of the year.How do you know there hasn't been substantial logging or foodplotsplanted in those areas?