I must be a neanderthal, because I pick up my bow, enter the woods, and then kill anything I want without having to answer to anyone but myself. It took me nearly 15 years of hunting before I passed my first 2.5 year old buck.
Deer have thrived in North America for over 4 million years. I think we need the deer more than they need us. I view QDMA as an atheist should view a christian, I don't believe, but what are they hurting?
Only been hunting for about 4 years myself and QDM was an area that I really didn't have much knowledge in until this past year when I've done a lot of research in this methodology and I find it to be very compelling. In a perfect world, if you could get everyone in your area to agree to certain "management" principals wouldn't that make for a healthier and more prospective deer heard? Or do you believe that the process manages it's self? I personally only manage about 55 acres in an area that I would consider heavily populated in Western Indiana. That said, I don't own the property and don't know all of the surrounding property owners - I don't have a very high density of hunters in my area but deer have a lot of options for food, cover and living. I find it to be a responsible decision on my part as a hunter to take a mature buck. If a younger buck can survive and stay in my area over the course of a couple years he will grow to be mature one day. Anyone who has been hunting for any amount of time realizes the difference between a mature buck and a trophy buck - they oldest bucks in the heard usually aren't the biggest and best bucks in a heard. That said, don't tell me even the most loyal QDM's are going to pass on a less mature 160" plus buck, simply won't happen unless they are managing a big property with high densities of bucks. Let me say this much about QDM, if someone in a surrounding property wants to shoot a "younger" buck then be my guest. If someone wants to come on the property that I manage then I'm going to tell them that I have certain goals for that property and here is what they are and as the "manager or owner" of that land don't I have that right? After all, I am the one that is making land improvements, planting trees, planting food plots, running trail camera surveys - don't I the land manager know more about the land and the heard in the area? I at the very least have enough information to make an educated decision. I've NEVER in 3 years of bow hunting killed a buck with a bow, had a 120" buck in front of me on opening day in my food plot for 30 mins. last year and had multiple other chances to kill bucks in that range. I however know that the area holds bigger deer, granted they are not living on my 55 acre property they just pass through it - but still, if I've got any hope of those 120's growing into 150's then I've got to give them a pass right? Just because other hunters in my area don't give it a pass doesn't mean that I shouldn't. It's the principal of the matter. Oh and let me be clear, my ability to hold out for a more mature whitetail makes me no butter of a hunter, QDM'er or person than anyone else.
The last 15 years I have been passing young deer, and holding out for larger, older bucks. Many of the guys in my hunting group, are doing that as well. However there a few who will shoot about any buck they see. I used to get upset about this, and even give them a hard time about it. But then I remembered, that deer hunting is supposed to be fun, enjoyable and relaxing. So I no longer care what the other guys kill, as long as they are happy. And yes I still hold out for larger deer myself, but I'm ok with that, and still having fun. The only thing I wish I could convince some of the others to do, is KILL MORE DOES. Our ratio is like 1:14, so we really need to thin out the baldies. But in my group, I have 6-7 guys who remember hunting in the 60's & 70's, when they would hunt the whole season and only see a couple deer. So they grew up thinking they should never kill does.
Its funny not to long after you posted this QDMA released a statement on their twitter page. QDMA @TheQDMA QDMA fully supports youth hunters having the opportunity to shoot any legal deer, yearlings included
Yes to all the guys who quoted me and then went on to repeat what I said. The gentleman that kills 40+ deer a year on 140 acres. Do you think that's normal across the white tail world? There's not 40 deer harvested from my entire concession annually and I'm in Canadian deer land. So again most of us are lucky to see a buck each year. We're not gonna pass it up for the neighbors who push the bush and have 10 rifleman on the field. For the others who quoted me sting they have teamed up with neighbors. Again tha is for repeating what I said. If your getting all neighbors involved yes ok it is good. But again that's not realistic for most. Let me rephrase for the literalists. QDMA is laughable on 100 acres for most people as they don't have 300 deer on one property and don have neighbors who could care less.
Yuppers! just insert 'legal' before weapon(I might prefer the words 'tool' or 'means' instead of weapon) - we don't want anyone getting themselves in trouble.
I don't know why people think QDM only means taking mature deer. The main purpose of QDM is to create and sustain a healthy deer herd, it doesn't mean you can only shoot mature deer. A healthy deer herd will consist of deer of all ages, mature and young. Their mission: Quality Deer Management (QDM) is a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and managers in a common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints. This approach typically involves the protection of young bucks (yearlings and some 2.5 year-olds) combined with an adequate harvest of female deer to maintain a healthy population in balance with existing habitat conditions and landowner desires. This level of deer management involves the production of quality deer (bucks, does, and fawns), quality habitat, quality hunting experiences, and, most importantly, quality hunters. I think all would agree that it's hardly asking too much not to shoot yearlings and 2.5 year olds, but even then they said that's the typical approach - not the manditory one. There's many hunters who won't take a deer that's 3.5 years old, let alone 2.5. I use QDM tactics but I would gladly shoot any deer that I want because my main goal is to have a healthy deer herd with a good sex ratio to ensure quality hunting for years to come.
I was going to put legal, but crossbows aren't legal for everyone in WI yet and I believe they should be.
Oh dear lord. The peanut gallery on here has just sent a missile for your house. Close this thread before the crossbow police show up. Lol
I am a believer in letting young bucks walk. But I also let guys that hunt my property shoot 130s and 120s but only once not year after year. Its a great way to get them hooked. Shoot a buck and then always try to better it! Now I know you can't shoot 170-200 inch deer every year but you can shoot 3-5 yr old deer every year
I think we should also note that calling someone a hardcore QDMer because they only shoot big bucks isn't accurate because QDM says nothing about never shooting a young deer (or likewise only shooting a mature deer). The label would be wrong within itself.
A friend of mine is in a lease with a rule I like, they can shoot ANY buck they want as long as the want it bad enough to have it mounted. Does are fair game.
Dear Chago...while I hope a QDMA cooperative gets big...right now only 3 property owners within half mile of my parents place are in for sure...totaling about 250 acres and comprised of 6 hunters total. That's atleast 6 more yearlings which will walk and perhaps have refuges to go to from others....not 100% guaranteed but then again they ain't own by any of us.
I hunt for a good part of the early season with crossbow...usually when in the city limits filling DMA permits. We are not allowed to use the crossbow up here(though they can in the L.P.) for the late season since 'it may lead to' decimation of the U.P. deer herds in the winter deer yards(we just leave them to the wolves instead). I prefer using the compound for most my bowhunting(especially on the ground), but sitting in a tree, the Xbow for me leaves less chance for error(mainly with the range estimation calibration on the scope) when I don't want a deer dying in 'the wrong somebody's' backyard or downtown. As for QDMA - most of the DNR mandated regs and what seems to be how the guys in favor of QDMA try to influence it is by implementing antler point restrictions....sure they give out doe tags in some areas but not here. QDMA or rather which bucks are shot should be a choice made by each individual for themselves or at least be more area/region specific. Also -even when a population dynamic gets out of whack, nature takes it's course and things will balance again. I understand what QDMA is supposed to be but the way they(some states/DNR and Sportsman's groups) have been trying to go about regulating it is wrong. Sometimes I wonder if the most hunters even realize that there are many, many more whitetails in North America now than there ever was 200+ years ago.
Dear tynimiller... Thanks for saving deer for your neighbours. They appreciate it when there drunk and their outside with rifles lol Not exactly why you talk about saving yearlings. I don't remember when I said I target fawns.
I try to "manage" the deer on my property. My parents have about 80 acres, only about 55 of it huntable. I am the only person that hunts this, and I have started trying to make it the best area I can for whitetails in general. The problem I run into is my neighbors. It is a family who owns about 25 acres next to me, and come gun season the entire family comes out and invites friends, so usually there are 6-7+ people hunting out there and sometimes each person gets 2 tags. I realize I don't own any deer or anything like that, but it makes my blood boil when I see a yearling 6 pointer who looks like it has a lot of potential get shot essentially right in the butt. I saw it come by after a shot and it wasn't in range, but it was clear that deer was shot walking straight away from them and was in no way an ethical shot. The worst part? They called my house and told my parents that they had hit a deer, but didn't think it was a fatal shot and that if I saw it I could shoot it and keep it. It's one thing if they had taken an ethical shot, but such poor marksmanship and such little respect for the sport irritates me.
