j7 - I agree that trespassers and unruly hunters are part of the problem, particularly in your neck of the woods where there are a ton of deer but very limited public land. I've hunted over there several seasons, but ultimately got tired of seeing bucks on the wrong side of the fence. But my take is that a bigger "problem" over there is simply that the landowners either lease out their land, or save it for their buddies to hunt, as was the case in the farm I hunted over there.

But for a lot of the state, the big problem is not the inability to access private land, but simply too many hunters in our national forests, BLM land and other public areas. Essentially a byproduct of our over-the-counter system.

So to get back to the original question, I had all the same frustrations as fishtuff. Instead of whining about over-the-counter tags, road access, etc., I'm now doing a bunch of those things suggested by others. I've gone to bowhunting. I apply in other states. I spend time in the offseason finding 'honey holes'. I trade info with others with local knowledge through this site, MonsterMuleys, bowsite, etc. In just a couple years of branching out, this last year I had a number of excellent hunts. Obviously the general modern season is difficult, but even with a rifle, I think there are ways to get around the crowds if you're willing to spend the time to find new areas. There are a lot of guys out there who have great hunts every year in the over-the-counter seasons. The key is that they either live in the area or spend a lot of time there to learn it well. Hard work obviously won't cut it on private land, but there's a ton of public land out there...some of which doesn't get hunted too hard.

Personally, I think moving from rifle to archery made the biggest impact. Sure, it's more difficult, and if you're simply looking to fill the freezer that might not be the best approach. But if you're looking for a good wilderness experience where you see a lot of critters but not a lot of orange, that's one good way to go. Personally, I love the added challenge of needing to get within bow range. In the last year since I started bowhunting, I think my hunting skills have increased dramatically. I didn't fill the freezer this year, but I had more close encounters with great animals than I've ever had.