IMO, all this article is, is yet another retread of what was rejected a few years ago. More anti-gun, anti-crossbow, anti-opportunity, anti-choice, anti-IDNR, anti-everything but trophy vertical bowhunting.

Like I said several years ago when this was argued endlessly, vertical bowhunters can't pay the bills or manage the herd. And since crossbow inclusion in 2012, @ least archery now accounts for a reasonable portion of the total deer harvest.

As a matter of fact, if people would look @ the data since the changes were made, they would find that in 2011 (the last year before the new regs kicked in) the firearms and muzzleloader seasons accounted for 77% of the total harvest while archery accounted for 21%.

After the new regs kicked in, the change was immediate and in 2014, archery (including crossbows) accounted for 29% of the total harvest, while the firearm, muzzleloader and late antlerless season accounted for 69% of the total harvest.

And while I'm sure there are some counties and/or pockets within counties that have been over hunted, if the herd was being slaughtered the way some claim it to be, how in the world could Hoosier hunters have averaged a deer harvest of almost 128,000 deer per year for the last 11 seasons? At some point that number would have dropped through the floor and stayed that way.

So contrary to the articles, posts and endless hand wringing....the sky is hardly falling.