I personally think it has to do with all I mentioned, what you added and the simple fact that hunting pressure has simply increased over the years. More people are pushing farther in and hunting harder, which is great! That's why a guy needs a draw hunt I guess to have an opportunity at a good buck.
I wouldn't say folks are pushing farther in. More out of stater's maybe but the last couple years, I spiked way in (9 days and 5 days) and never saw a buck even though I hunted hard. Hardly saw another person either. I'm sure if I put more pre-season effort into it, things would be better but they're definitely not just standing there waiting for me to put them out of their misery.