Depends on who you talk to...I hunted squirrels on one property 3 weeks ago and saw 6 different bucks in the same area in one morning... That was in 8T... My fiance owns property in 8X and the deer there have been working my clover plot pretty heavy...

Some of the guys who have been riding around watching fields complain that they aren't seeing many deer..My opinion is that most of the deer are in the timber working the bountiful acorn crop...

All in all, my impression is that the population here is about average this year... I think that lots of oaks in the area you hunt may be a big plus...