RE: Is your state's hunting better or worse then when you were a kid?
Speaking for my area in SE MN, it overall is not as good as it once was.
Although I still see a good amount of deer, there aren't nearly as many as when I first started, 17 years ago. MN continues to hold its gun season right smack dab in the middle of the rut. This does nothing good for increasing the number of big bucks as so many young ones are taken. Access is harder than it has ever been before, I'm starting to see leases popping up more frequently which many cannot afford, and there are people that have stopped hunting because of the limited access.
I personally am blessed with good access on good properties, but in general I dont think MN is headed in the right direction.