For me, it wasn't that the DNR wasn't trusted a few years ago as much as it was the fact that I, like many hunters felt they weren't being represented in the process and let the powers that be know it.

As far as the number of bonus antlerless permits available, I don't know of anyone that hasn't questioned those numbers @ times, but especially counties that were hit hard by EHD. Having said that, the county I hunt in was hit hard by EHD and I thought the permits should be lowered, but deer being deer, they repopulated the county pretty quickly.

Point being, while it may seem to some that the opposite is going on, I hardly think that the DNR is going to allow the herd to be slaughtered and I'm sure that if necessary, there will be counties that see their available bonus antler less permits drop subtantially, thus making the bonus antlerless season much smaller.

But in the end, Indiana is trying to do what many states are doing and that's lowering herd numbers and we're going to have to live with that.