I have taken deer in Ill, Ohio, Neb and hunt in MO, and Ind - all of which have check stations. My home state of Mich does not. I find the states with CS have better harvest info. When I check in a deer, it is not a hassle and the form usually asks other wildlife questions like how many turkeys/deer did you see. I believe Mich has terrible harvest data (based on surveys). The DNR in these other states will all tell you that the CS reduce some level of poaching (ie family members, friends providing tags, etc.) It will not stop the hard core poacher. There is an added cost to the state, but the return is well worth the money.