why are elk otc options more intricate and deliberately planned vs deer otc? should they not be just a detailed and herd specific?

Over the counter opportunities for elk hunting were changed in 1999 and required hunters to choose the zone and the tag type ( A or B) for their hunts. This change was put in place because in portions of the state, we were overharvesting elk and specifically bulls. The zone system was devised to distribute hunters throughout elk country and allow us to better manage elk populations on a localized basis within specific boundaries.

As for statewide deer management we are still able to offer residents more flexibility to hunt deer over a broader area on a general tag with some controlled hunt opportunities and still manage the populations throughout the state within our herd objectives. 

You can be assured that we take deer management as serious as elk management, and despite mostly a statewide general deer season, each region has objectives to maintain healthy deer herds and ensure adequate buck/doe ratios and doe/fawn ratios to supply a sustainable long-term deer harvest while accounting for changing conditions, such as hard winters and disease outbreaks that can abruptly affect deer populations.