I agree with you on the limited number of shots. We commented all weekend about how this was one of quietest weekends we have ever heard. We didn't have an EHD problem in out area so I think a lot for us had to do with the windy conditions opening day and then the colder weather on Saturday and Sunday. We went in for lunch on Saturday and heard a lot of people saying it was to cold to head out that morning. There were noticeably a lot less trucks parked on the roads Saturday and Sunday too. While I'm sure it was EHD in your area, I think it was a lot of lazy hunters as well in our area. I guess the only thing we can do is wait for the numbers to come out. Next year I'd rather they put a 2 doe limit in place and a 4 point on one side rule. I think that would really help.
My taxidermist is a member and when I picked up my buck in late October he said it was the slowest he had ever been and he runs one of the bigger and better taxidermy shops. When we went in there last Saturday night to drop off my buddies buck he didn't seem as concerned as he did two weeks before. We did have a lot of standing corn in our area until a couple weeks ago. He says that he has been hearing of deer dead in standing corn and they aren't thinking its EHD, might be something else.
We did have more 1.5 year old bucks this year than I have ever seen before. I think every sit this year (20 or so) I saw a different young buck. Its also the first year that everyone has held back and no one shot a small buck. I'm hoping in two years we'll have a good population of nice bucks.
Again, sorry to hear about the lack of deer. It seems like a weird year for EHD, I've heard parts of our county getting hit hard and others not being touched. I think about 80% of the people I've talked to Fulton/Peoria County didn't see any effects this year but the ones who did see it got hit hard. You just never know.