Posey,

The total increase in deer harvest from 2011 to 2012 was 7000 deer. The total crossbow take increased over 7000 more deer after their use was liberalized. So when we are discussing the increased deer take and it can be attributed to a single change in policy, then 6% is significant.

I don't have a problem with crossbows but the liberalization of their use cannot be discounted so easily.

It is much easier to see their impact v. the late antlerless season which likely only shifted doe harvest from muzzleloader season. If you combine late antlerless harvest with muzzleloader harvest, the increase from 2011-2012 was from 15% of the total harvest to 16% of the total harvest, a net 1% increase.

We will have to see what happened this year when the deer harvest report comes out in a couple months. The anecdotal reports certainly are louder this year so it is probably reasonable to expect a harvest decline. But don't expect major policy changes without a couple years of trending data.