Cottontail, grouse and shoe hunting would have declined ,even if there wasn't any deer, as the clearcuts matured to the saw timber stage.
Furthermore, Latham was flat out wrong about the future of deer hunting in PA. Even the PGC agrees with me.
Deer and trees – “Once the average tree is about 10 years old, its lowest
branches are too high above the ground for a deer to reach; therefore, it
no longer produces food for a whitetail. If that tree is destined to become
merchantable timber, it might be as long as 90 years before it is cut.
Also, during those 90 years, foliage in the upper story of the tree shades
the forest beneath, so that other vegetation is unable to grow there. As
far as deer food is concerned, the tree is a wildlife desert for 90 years out
of 100, unless it happens to be a mast-producing species.” - 5\71 PA
Game News