RE: Is your state's hunting better or worse then when you were a kid?
First PA guy in on this post? Wow, this was the "debate" of the last 6 years in PA. As a whole, deer sightings in the areas I (the key word being "I") are down (really down at our more mountain terrain cabin land). However, buck harvests are MUCH more impressive. Our cabin sees about 18-24 guys the first two or three days of rifle and a steady 10-12 guys in archery. Yearly, we harvest about 4-5 very mature mountain deer. Before QDM (we actually instituted this before PA did), sure we would tag 12-18 bucks a year (25 members plus sons/guests), but I would say the average wasn't more than a basket rack 4-6 point. PA's deer population is down from what it used to be (but that WAS the point of Alt's plan, even though antler restrictions were there to invoke a positive element as well), but the quality of the bucks is MUCH better (look at the PA deer on this board this year). I believe Alt helped create a much more stable and healthy herd throughout our state, and as such, the overall deer SIGHTINGS may be down, but that is a natural byproduct of the plan.
Now, right here around our property, my buck sightings have decreased throughout the years, but I believe it's a result of other underlying factors (such as too much pressure on our property, lack of sufficient food/water supply, and a 120acre UNHUNTED (for the past 50 years) bordering sanctuary adjoining our property line)).