http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=301651 This guy and his landowners are doing a QDMA co-op here in MI, a goal I have set for myself. He is getting slightly different results from his camera's
No Way, that can't be Michigan. Wait, was that Mr. Mass?:D See Gary, it can be done if you get some help. Take a gun and talk to your neighbors. Take some of those pics too!!
The biggest issue we have is land owner to our east, he rents the land. The guys who hunt just don't care, and they hate my guts:D I have 2 hunters around us on the same page, will see
I did not read the thread, but the results speak for themselves. Do you know what exactly are they doing? Is it just letting age structure take over and nutrition is already there? Is it age structure along with supplemental feeding via food plots and minerals? How have they gotten there? That is what intrigues me about these success stories. It's great to see the results, but what about what got you there?
These guys do a bit of everything. Food plots and create more habitat. They do a lot of hinge cutting and I believe they have an "Outside the Ears" rule. Mineral are not legal anymore in the SLP, the pictures from 2008 it was legal.
I feel your PAIN!!!!! In this case they are working 10,000 acres with 100 land owners on board. It makes it much easier. In my case we have 200 acres in a block 1/2 mile wide and 2 miles long. As long as the hunters on the fringes of this keep shooting everything that moves we have No Chance! They will not listen and I've become the A-Hole around there because they think Im telling them how to hunt. Im just suggesting a better way of doing it. Never rude ,I just bring it up as we talk about hunting and thats when I get the looks and a quick change of subject. I've pretty much gave up. I'll be looking for new land for next season!
I asked around about starting a QDM co-op in my area for about 2 seasons and I got a lot of "sure it sounds good, but I don't think many hunters will go for it" or "there is no way so-and-so will do it". Finally, near the end of last season I passed out flyers in mailboxes and hung one in a local gas station. We had 43 hunters/land owners show up at the meeting on less than a week notice. This year, again on short notice (we need to plan better :D) we had 47 hunters at the preseason meeting and another 15 that couldn't make it, but want to be a part of it. That is 62 hunters/land owners in an area where not many people thought it would work. Your neighbors might not go for it, but they also might change their mind when everyone else around them is. Or they might change their mind down the road if they like the results. Not suggestion all situations are the same, but you never know.
Save your $$$ and rent it yourself, then they'll hate you more but at least you'll be able to advance your plan.
I don't have a ton of experience with this, but I have spent quite a bit of time talking to those that do. There is really no set number for it to work, but obviously the more the better. The landscape of the area will vary on the number of how many acres needed to be successful. With all the small tracks of land in MI, it is better to get as many of area properties as possible on board. One thing to remember, the smallest tracks of land will benefit the most. Convincing the small land owners of that will make things easier. If you own even 5 acres surrounded by 100s or 1000s of acres practicing QDM, that could be huge for the small land owner since you can't really do much in the form of deer management on 5 acres. A lot of small land owners don't realize that. I would start with whatever you can. Sometimes you have to start small and gain as many participants as you can each year. One thing seems to be true, when you start producing results, hunters are easier to convince.
