[Brian Pfleuger]

NY is on the down turn, as far as I can tell.

First, DEC management zones are much too large, resulting in one side being infested with deer and the other being nearly empty but the permit are for the whole zone and can be used in either place. That means the guy in the nearly empty part doesn't see hardly any deer and he IS going to shoot the one he does see, meaning even less next year.

Second, the deer take numbers are "estimates" and that's being generous. In truth, they're pulled from some bean counters nether region. DEC has reported record or near record deer takes the last 4 years while nearly every hunter I've talked to from all corners of the state has said that hunting is terrible and some go the whole season without SEEING a deer in places where they used to shoot several a year.

Third, coyote numbers have absolutely exploded the last few years. We now see them in EVERY location that I hunt where I had literally never seen a single one, in my entire life, until about 4 years ago.