DougMD... Ive seen 2 bucks and 6 does in 5 days hunting(Hardy Co).. no rut activity AT ALL...no mast...local farmers tell me there's less deer thanm they can remember seeing... remember, Wardensville was the deer hunting capital of WVa ,during the 60s... now the count is way down.. habitat destruction, along with the States' prostitution of the herd lowered numbers overall... i'm betting for a reduction in total harvest for 2004... about 20k less... the deer population ,from state-wide reports, is very low... Good luck...