Oh it is serious. I do understand this. I would blame your buddies deer issues on the fish and wildlife then. Deer won't rebound in an area after a disease if they still allow hunting. Should have at least stopped antlerless deer harvests.
If theres only 4 deer per sq mile and theres hunting still allowed in the area. Well your gonna have 50 guys hunting 4 deer. Guess who loses that battle. Never gives the critters time to rebound if you blast the few left every year.
This is liken to the wolf arguement in northern WI. My uncle's area for instance. The wolves killed almost every deer in his hunting grounds. To walk 5 miles in fresh snow and never see a track. It's pretty depressing. So that left like 3 deer per sq mile by him. The WI DNR still allowed anterless tags and of course the wolves were still out there. So when do the deer have time to rebound. They don't. Finally the WI DNR figured well we better take away antlerless tags and kill some wolves. Now finally he's starting to see deer in his yard again.
When something like this happens the states fish and wildlife have to give that area a break to rebound.