Yea not Ohio deer but still Iowa/Midwest deer. We too have folks out here who state there are not enough deer, so it is just not an Ohio thing for sure.
Times do change though. When I started deer hunting in Ohio (back in 1983 or so) you could only get a buck tag, and could apply in the lottery for a doe tag. Those were the real days of few deer and you had to really 'hunt/work' to get one. When I started deer hunting here in Iowa (1996) there were also not very many deer in today's standards. 1st shotgun was buck only statewide and there were no 'doe tags' available. Well the population got so out of control for a few years (I'd guess from 2002 - 2008) there are now opportunities for you to get many, many doe tags (allocated by county) if want to. I'd guess most of the folks (in Iowa at least, maybe Ohio?) who state there are not many deer any more are the ones who started hunting during the height of the particular state's population and were spoiled by it? And now maybe are disappointed if they do not see the deer numbers they used too. Or maybe they are hunting in a crappy, over-hunted place? Who knows, but it is hunting after all..... It is hard for the state to manage down to the micro level.
As for the particular farm I hunt it is one of those pockets of high deer density, and we make it worse by improving the habitat and making them want to stay there. We can't seem to kill enough does to keep them in check. This picture is from late season a couple years ago. There is about 30 in the pic (out the west window of the tower blind I was hunting). There were probably another 60 or so out the south and east windows. Timber to the north so who knows how many more in there. This is also only 1 of 3 main/destination plots we have on the farm. So times that by 3 or so? We kill 20 or 30 does every year and every year there seems to be the same amount or more.
I do know every situation is different. And so is every hunter.
View attachment 50280