You're speaking from WI, southern MI is not in the same state. There's not low deer numbers; quite the opposite. Many counties are overrun. I've never seen as many deer in any area as swarm my parents' farm back in MI right now. The problem is lack of big bucks.

You don't pass on a forkhorn because a) you have two buck tags so why should you, and b) there is no better than a 5% chance he will see the New Year. Consequently, there's about a 5% chance you'll see anything bigger than 6 points though you'll pass on 100+ does trying if you hunt enough.

The steps here are easy:
1) Eliminate the second buck tag. People can still shoot whatever buck THEY think is a trophy -- be it a forkhorn or 160-class. But it forces them to be picky. Right now, most people will drop the first legal buck they see before actually waiting and being picky as the 2nd one needs 4+ pts on a side.

2) Earn-a-buck (I hear the blood pressure of all WI hunters rise). You will never change the mentality of a generation of hunters trained not to shoot does. The last time I hunted MI I talked to every hunter on the square mile I was hunting, I was the only one willing to shoot does though some of the others bought doe tags just to keep another hunter from getting it and actually using it!! Force them to shoot a doe.

Combine #1 and #2 above, you get more does being taken and fewer yearling bucks being taken. And you do it without forcing someone else's idea of a trophy on a hunter.

I live in Indiana and the difference is dramatic. Only one buck tag; people are VERY picky about what they shoot and what I do see in the back of trucks is seldom yearlings. In two seasons here I have shot two bucks each bigger than my biggest MI buck. People also have no issues taking does, maybe not opening morning but everyone I know wants to shoot 1-2. And the does are managed on the county level, a proficient hunter with permission in multiple counties can help manage herds all over the state.

I remember the last year I hunted MI, I had been shooting 6-7 does every year by buying permits early but then they limited it to 3 per hunter. They said a few proficient hunters were taking too many permits. Well, isn't that exactly what was needed, people to actually FILL those tags???