A larger population of deer means you should have a larger population of big bucks too. The percentage of the herd with big racks gets multiplied by a much larger population. Even if the percentage of big bucks drops some, a large enough population means more big bucks in the woods to get harvested. Meat hunters can be more selective, because they know they should get a shot at something else if they pass on the spike horn at 7 AM opening day. With a smaller herd, meat hunters will pull the trigger on the first legal target they see (and who could blame them). If you remember the 80's, there were not a lot of places where a spike horn could walk safely on opening day. As does get harder to find, and probably doe permits fewer, it will be the same way again.