Hunters have been killing off all the big bucks for many years now. I am surprised if I see a buck with more than spikes and then some hunter shoots it. The herd near my home used to number upwards of twenty or more does with at least four or five mature bucks. Now we’re down to one doe, two fawns and no bucks because someone killed the spike horn I saw in October. Hunters want the DEC to manage the herds. Brilliant. Do the hunters own any responsibility? Many shoot anything that moves and don’t tag their deer. Let’s be real here; violations of the laws are almost a tradition with many. You reap what you sow then scream for the inadequate DEC of NY State to fix the problem you created with overhunting. The DEC of is not capable of doing a decent job because they haven’t the manpower or the education in herd management. Shame on us all for letting them slash and burn the DEC budget. Create a committee of responsible hunters to evaluate the problems and confront the DEC. We need to look to Maine and how they addressed the decimation of their deer populations.