kickin_buck

I find it funny that many people claim they don't have enough land to make a difference. One huge part of a good QDM program is the harvesting of does. How much land do you need to take as many does as you are legally allowed to in your state? I think many people confuse QDM with what someone on here called antler management. I will be the first to admit that I don't shoot small/young bucks because I want at least give them the chance to grow up and become big/trophy bucks. However, I take all the does that I am allowed. For example, in Illinois I am allowed 2 gun tags. 1 either sex and 1 anterless only. I promise you my anterless only never goes unfilled. I will save the 1 either sex tag until the end of our second gun season. If no buck worthy of taking comes by, that tag goes on a doe. Same with archery, two tags, 1 either sex, 1 anterless only. That anterless only gets filled very quickly and I then I purchase a new set of tags so I can take more does. That is all part of QDM. Also, food plots are a huge part as well and while I agree that most on here do not have enough land to feed an entire herd, any quality food you plant helps the overall health of the entire herd. So, yes I agree with QDM and do my best to help improve the quality of the entire herd, not just the bucks.

SteveBNy

Severalthings:

1 - I find it hard to believe that someone in VA (or anyone else non local to my area) could possibly guarentee what the hunters do here. Anymore then I could tell you what the hunters do in your back yard.

2 - 40% of the DMU's in NY had low or no doe tags issued because of populations. Unless a hunter also bow or mz hunts (2/3 do not), they would only be able to shoot bucks w 3" or more spikes. Under many proprosed AR's,what could they shoot?The majority of hunters heremay huntopening day and a couple more ties - tell them they can't shoot hardly anything and the recent declines would escalate - we DO NOT need to lose any more hunters!!!

3-I get a lot more opportunities at doe/family groups then I do at bucks - therefore I shoot does until my tags are done.

4- All 1 1/2 old deer are great eating - and the majority of hunters are still DEER hunters - not trophy guys. Their trophies are the memories of the hunt.

5 - You suggest I shoot small bucks - again a wild arse guess - I let them pass. But I don't tell anyone they should too just because that is what I choose to do.

Steve

SteveBNy

X2

ABarOfSoap

i agree with it, but dont do it because im happy with any size buck i can shoot.

RockinChair

I think you misinterpreted my post. I said you/your as a generalization of meat hunters, those who I have been assoicated with. I apologize, I should have been more specific. Also, I was pretty vauge when I said that younger buck present more opportunities. They obviously do not. I too, am presented with more shot opportunities at does than young bucks, although I am usually presented with a shot opportunity at a young buck every hunt. But it does offer some meat hunters a different form of gratification. My post was directed towards you and I'm sorry for not beign very specific. But as I said before, the majority of the meat hunters I know, routinely harvest younger bucks.

One property next to ours give meat hunters a truly bad name. They harvested 20+ deer this year off a 40 acre lot, because they love to eat them so much. Are you kidding me??? They also harvested a young 5 pt. several spikes and I dont even want to know the number of button bucks they took. Yet when we talk to them they complain about not seeing any big bucks. Well common sense will tell you that if you dont shoot them when they are younger, then they will grow bigger. Point being, they consider themselves meat hunters, yet they harvest way too many deer off their property and take young bucks while complaining about the lack of mature bucks they see.

SteveBNy

Fair enough - tough to communicate effectively in this medium sometimes.
Good hunting

Steve

Charlie P

Well maybe they don't have a huge amount of time to hunt and maybe they don't see a need to make it easier for someone else to get a big buck.They might be just starting out and want to shoot a buck.Maybe because it's enjoyable and they aren't hunting with what you want in mind.

buck-i

dont agree with qdm when you have antler restrictions,we have some good bucks here in oklahoma but we are not Ohio,ILL.,MINN.,or KAN.,these states are known for big bucks roaming free. texas known for fence hunting,Illinios was hard to get non res. tags because ranches or whatever bought them up to make money.i'm afraid big antlers will mean less public area to hunt we all no money talks.
big antler states,is it there crops they grow, nutrition they have or antler restrictions,i dont know their regs.
me ,im a meat hunter i may shoot a small buck it depends on the feeling i get, but i can tell you i pass on a heck of a lot of young bucks and will be just as happy with a doe which i kill many of. this year two does and 0 bucks.
i hunt where the does are always have,and dont worry about if i pass on a buck that some other hunter will kill it anyways,i hunt for me.
qdm suppose to be about the herds health not antler size,the small horned big bodied bucks look just as healthy as the big horned bucks. how many times have you heard a tv hunter say thats a good management buck then not shoot it.its all about antler size.if my gearis not be as big as other mens does that make me not as healthy.

mez

I don't agree with it as it has become antler management and not herd management. If people want to practice it on their own property that is fine but I echo the other sentiments that I don't want it shoved down my throat. I don't think it is fair for me to try to dictate what other hunters think and shoot so I can increase my chance at a big buck. I think CharlieP summed it up pretty good.

I didn't know much about QDM. A few marathon threads last year so I did some research. In its purest form I think it is a good thing. How can you argue with a healthier deer herd? What I don't like is that it is being used as a facade to try to grow trophy whitetails. I would have a lot less problems with it if people wouldn't lie about the ultimate goal. Wouldn't be as easy to feed that goal to the public and general hutning population however.

There was an article in Field and Stream last year when the QDMA arguments were taking place. The article was on a hunting club in the south, very exclusive and expensive. Deer were fed and watched, they knew every buck on the place, they knew their age, etc. If you shot a buck under a certain age and size you were penalized within the club. Went on to discuss how the QDMA had really paid off and the club members were now shooting huge whitetails in an area not known for them. Thepresident of the QDMA was quoted in the article as saying that this hunting club represented the pinnicle of QDMA and what they were trying to accomplish. This was their poster child for all the world to see. Wasn't alot of press about does and balanced herds and healthy deer.

Were it about the deer and not the horns I would be more supportive.

kevin1

I'm not a trophy hunter and never will be, so I can't support it because of what it invariably leads to, antler management and the cancer of leasing that particularaddictionattracts. Leasing shuts out the poor man who just wants to hunt, and lease prices never go down. QDM is a pipe dream anyway unless you have ahuge acreage and everyone around you is doing it too, which never happens. Even if you have the acreage to do it alone you'll invariably attract every antler obsessedpoacher from 100 miles, and the headaches aren't worth it. QDM is strictly for the rich, and I have much better things to spend my hard earned money on than antler fantasies.