I hunt all over western/central NY with most time spent in 9P, 9G and 7R. I agree that the overall herd is down and has been declining for the last couple of years, due in part to large harvests and "normal" winters. Although I am feeling like a frustrated hunter, we are probably seeing conditions that are more normal for the ecosystem, as opposed to the unhealthy deer numbers of the late 90's and early 00's. Seeing 20+ doe in a herd running the woods and fields is exciting, but not natural. The herd has not been eradicated and never will be by hunters, winter or coyotes. I do not agree that there are not enough hunters. One of our problems is the hunters are concentrated in areas of public land (i.e. Allegany Park) and areas with lots of camps (i.e. any town in Allegany County). Plus technology (scent control etc.) and hunting styles (tree stands versus deer drives) have changed greatly and hunters do not move the deer as in the past when we smelled like bacon and beer and were frozen in 2 hours if we did not walk around. We need to learn and adapt to the current conditions, because it will likely continue. Throw in no snow and limited (if any) mast crop and the hunting is plain tough. There are deer to be killed this weekend and I am going to change my habits, hunt the low country and stay off my butt between 8 am and 4 pm.