I absolutely agree that the BOC doesnt always listen to hunters. The xbow fiasco was glaring proof of that.
That doesn't mean you give up on any front. If you believe in your cause, you keep on hammering at it from all angles. In my example of the UBP and the extension of archery season, it was also a years long effort.
IMHO, the low number is more an indicator that the USP and like minded crowd is not the force you think it is and some may have indeed resigned to the idea that less deer is the right way to continue.