Since I started this latest hornets nest, I might as well chime in.

I really think that hunters as a whole in this state need social reengineering if you will. By that I mean this. It seems as though a lot of hunters treat hunting season like buying groceries. Too many hunters seem to think that they have the right to fill their freezer each year with all of the tags they purchase. Sorry, its hunting, not grocery shopping. It's a sport, hobby, pastetime, or whatever you may call it.

While I do agree with some that the PGC's deer program has failed in some areas. This needs to be addressed. I'm not sure how. Micromanaging areas with less deer would be very difficult at best. But if you're finding less deer in the areas you've always hunted, why hunt there? Go some place else and hunt. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Isn't that the definition of insanity?

However, I must disagree with the people saying our deer herd is worse off now than it was before all of this took place. Yes, we have fewer deer now, but we also have healthier deer and more deer carrying impressive headgear. There is not a guy alive who hunts that doesn't want to see bigger racks. Leaving the small bucks walk will only improve your chances.

We are seeing a decline in hunter recruitment. It's been happening before the new deer management program started. There is a lot more factors than a few less deer in the woods attributing to this. Trust me, I know. I have a 10 year old step son who is into all types of sports and other activities. He's interested in hunting, but we can't find the time to get him out. Heck, I have a hard time getting out as much as I'd like to because of the kids' activites.

Sproul, you made the comment that the dads' are shooting deer for the kids. If it is that serious of a problem in your area, do something about it. Call your local WCO and put the bug in his ear. If these hunters feel watched, they'll probably knock it off. However, I don't feel that's the only issue here. Think about it. That type of thing has been going on long before any management program was in place. Most kids usually only get to hunt a few days at the beginning of the week. They're usually in school by the end of the week and get a couple Saturdays after that.

Bottom line is us as hunters need to take more responsibility for our actions and not blame the PGC for everything that goes wrong in your neck of the woods. I hunt of well managed private property. We've been going by an 8pt rule for years. However, our buck/doe ratio was terrible for years. This was until the surrounding prison property opened up and left hunters kill does. They've been taking approximately 150 deer a year off of there for the past 10-15 years. Not only has our buck harvest been better, but our deer our heavier now. Seems to me that what has happened on our ground and surrounding prison property is what is now happening state wide.