My insight is one sided because I choose to hunt traditionally. Hunting is general has become commercialized and all about trophies. 40 years ago putting good quality meat was most likely the main concern with most hunters. Yes education and mangament has made some deer herds massive and produced massive bucks. Look at all the non typical bucks you see now versus then. These land owners are breeding and selling deer like cattle. Hunting today for most hunters is all about the size of the antlers not the feeling of being one with nature. Sitting in a stand over a feeder isnt hunting it is target practice. Hunting is finding the prey and taking them on their terms by out smarting them. With all the scent masking today most hunters do not even care about wind direction. I have hunted all my life and most of it was in the piney woods and swamps. I have went season after season and never saw a deer. Anyway thats my 2 cents worth.

I may be making sweeping generalizations here but it seems like deer hunting is easier now in the southern midwest (Illiois, Missouri, Kansas) and the southeast beacuse there are way more deer than their used to be.

Here in wisconsin and other northern states it seems like the goal of state agencies has been to reduce the herd, so there are less deer. My father-in-law has an absolute fit if he sees five or less deer on opening day of gun season, and goes on a rant about how he used to see over a hundred deer opening day. Land access isan issue to. I have heard that twenty years ago you could just go sit by anyone's field and they wouldnt care much. Nowthere is a lot more competition.

So overall easier in the south and harder in the north. Just MHO.