Stocking has worked very well in Missouri. Back in the 60's deer had been hunted commercially to near extinction and my first ten or so years here it was extremely rare to see or even hear of a deer in these parts. I in fact participated in the first full MO season for deer, tagging along with my dad who hunted the weekend bucks only seasons before that. I was 13, in the 7th grade and had my dad go looking for a deer rifle with money made coon hunting. He took my $100. and picked me up after school to go and sight in my first deer gun,a Marlin 30-30. I hunted 5 years before my first success. Deer were just so few and far between and you had to shoot a buck so it was hard. My senior year, in 1984, I got an 8 point and haven't had a dry year since. In fact, with the explosion of the deer population, the 80's were when multiple antlerless tags could be applied for and I started filling 2-3 per year, and now it's unlimitted antlerless tags so I'm well over 100 deer killed. I stopped really counting in the 90's.
Deer season here is next Sat., Nov.14th and I am using my favorite deer gun, my first 30-30 to fill at least some of my tags. Crap! I need to go buy 5or6 tags to get started!