I thought that the population in the earlier centuries was not as large as at present due to hunting by the original bow hunters and because much of the area wa

I thought that the population in the earlier centuries was not as large as at present due to hunting by the original bow hunters and because much of the area was mature forest. Mature forest canopy shades the ground to the extent that undergrowth is sparse and deer have little to feed on. Their best habitat in mature forest is marsh edges, riverbanks, blow-downs, fire scars, etc, which cause breaks in the canopy.