they are still pretty thick on the the west central side. A lot of that has to do with farmers not letting people hunt. To them the crop damage is less of a hassle than dealing with people. I would be totally fine with getting rid of the first firearm season. I got into this sport gun hunting tho, and I would be amazed if the dnr would make that change bc of all the tags they sell. Have you ever been to a gander mountain the night before gun season? that place is nuts, gun seasons are just good for the economy and produce the most kills so i am sure its here to stay...which is completely fine with me too!! ; )