How many of you practice quality deer management?

[Redhawk1]

I hunt on a farm that is across the street from a outfit that has people come in to pay for day hunts, that has an agreement with the surrounding farms and it's hunters to practice quality deer management.

Our self imposed rules are, only quality bucks will be taken, outside spread of 15 inches or better. We harvest doe's and are strict on shooting button bucks. Like I said these are all self imposed rules.

So far this season I have passed 4 button bucks, a spike buck, a fork horn buck, a buck with one large spike and 3 point on the other side. I have also passed on 2 different 6 points.
Last night I passed on 2 small doe's and a fork horn buck and a 7 point buck. Today I passed on a small 8 point buck with a small rack about 13 inch spread but a huge bodied deer.
I know we have a 14 point buck and a bigger buck in our hunting area and no one has had a chance at them as of yet. In the area we hunt there have been some nice 8,9 and 10 point bucks taken.

It is a lot of fun watching these bucks grow up, every year we get to watch them mature. I have been waiting for my chance at that big 14 point or the bigger boy that is in our area.

So let me know what other here do for quality deer management.

[hardertr]

I've probably let 20 deer pass for every 1 deer I shot on my lease in the past 3 years.  It's close to 300 acres, and the 3 other guys on the lease do pretty much the same.  This is my third year, and I have only taken 3 deer since I've been there, and all 3 were mature/old 8 pts.  Unfortunately, we don't have "full hunting rights" to the land.

NOW...here's the problem....  The guy that owns the land is going to let "day hunters" come on his place after Thanksgiving.  I know FOR A FACT the guys he lets on are going to "get thier moneys worth".  The owner is going to let a quick profit over common sense ruin his land.

I'm glad I won't be here to see what is left on the lease for next year.  I think day hunting is the absolute worst thing you can do to your herd, especially if you don't set guidlines or take a count of every deer taken.

[nabob]

I used to be so set on getting a deer that I'd shoot anything that was legal.

Now, I let them walk if they don't fit the bill for a "good deer". I figure I'm not that hard up that I have to shoot the little ones.

Where I hunt, it is doubly hard because it is the mountains of the North Woods and there aren't a lot of deer to begin with, not like down around the farmlands. Also, there aren't the usual "funnels" that channel deer to corridors. I've gone some years without even seeing a buck, so to let them walk if they weren't big enough was kinda tough at first. Now it isn't a problem.

Last year, I got a 10 pointer that I'd been hunting for several seasons. Not just a "good buck", I was after this specific deer. Kind of a sense of accomplishment when I took him. There's this other deer that my Dad saw three years ago that looked like a cow with horns, 12 points. That's the guy I'm going after next year, if he's still around. So I guess I am doing sort of a QDM by only going after specific deer.

[Land_Owner]

I have been a QDMA Member for ten years but practicing it on a parcel of only 20 acres is impractical.  There are 100's of thousands of State owned and poached lands adjacent to mine.  We have been and are actively trying to get rid of the poachers first.  Following that, and it has been ten years with extremely limited success, perhaps I can start to set some restrictions. 

In 17 years of ownership we have taken six bucks (one was 5.5 years old) none with horns to write about, seven does, and well over 150 hogs.  This year we cleared additional plots, disced, fertilized, and planted specific grains and forage for wildlife.  Drought, flooding, hurricanes, fires, lack of germination, etc. have contributed to failed crops in the past.  This year we achieved total success.

The QDM Journal helped identify which grains and forage to plant.  The iron and clay peas have all been eaten to the gorund from overgrazing.  The sorghum is still maturing so perhaps they will walk down the stalks and eat the seed heads when mature.  The white clover is still maturing also.  I look forward to that portion of the crop to succeed beyond my wildest imagination.  I LIKE CLOVER. 

We have seen more deer this season than in any previous.  We have identified eleven separate does and yearlings to date but have spied only one six point and one 1" spike.  We know the poachers are active and through our cooperation and observations the Game Wardens and their dog are active too.

I believe in QDM, its principles, its practices, and its stewardship to the wildlife.  I plant for wildlife and try to "thin out" the does when they present themselves, which by deduction in the "take" log above has been few and far between.  Sometimes enjoyment in deer hunting has to be found in alternatives to the killing of game.

[a45gunslinger]

  Hi all, we pretty much have the same views. Where I hunt the rule is the deer (buck) must be bigger than the last one taken by that hunter,  no button bucks, must harvest a  doe first. These are simple rules but yet some still can't seem to grasp the no button buck? Most of our guys have matured as hunters wich in turn makes it easy to manage for decent deer. As they evolve the mentality of "brown and down" starts to give way to " sure was neat seeing all those bucks" or a simple " what a great day" I'll admit when I started hunting it was all about the numbers and not the quality "getting my limit was the only thing that mattered..Now I have kids. My oldest is going on his first hunt this weekend hopefully I can get him past the brown and down mentality.-Kevin

[Don Fischer]

I've never heard of this QDMA. I have a question for you guy's. Whu not shoot a certain amount of does and all the cull bucks? The spikes are usually never going to be much and I sure wouldn't want them in the breeding program. Also, a piece of land can only feed so many deer and two many it would seem cause a food shortage. I read somewhere that the majority of animals born are female, reguardless of species. I would think that for a better herd, these factors of to many does and cull bucks would drag the quality down. I wish that here in Ore, they would go to a 4 point (8point eastern) onlu rule or spikes and issue more doe tags. What am I missing here?

[5Redman8]

Quality deer management has many different meanings....

Trophy bucks are obvious to most people......

Cull bucks are a different story.  We were on a lease for the past 5 years.  Self imposed rstrictions helped us manage our population.  For bucks, we kill mature bucks 4.5 years old and older.  If it is a 8 pointer....4 poiter.....or whatever.....4.5 years old and older is fair game.

I killed a fork horn freak in our third year that was 5.5y/o.  He would never have been a trophy and he was one of the most agressive breeders as he had a huge body and pushed the other deer around.  We had seen him the previous 3 years and had held off.

If I saw a.....a buck with one large spike and 3 point on the other side.....and had a free tag, he would have been taken.  Does not sound like a deer you need breeding.

Spikes.....at least young ones, we let pass.

Does.....depends on the year and condition of the overall population. 

Also, EARLY on in the season....I have passed a huge buck or two in the 3.5-5.5 age class in hopes of them doing more breeding.  One i never saw again and the other I took in early Dec.

Lots of things come into play.  We only have 640ares but have little to no hunters around us.  Some people manage for numbers, some for body size, some for racks, and some for all of the above.  Depends on your goals.

I would strongly recommend ready some of Dr. James Kroll's books.  I was fortunate to have been in his classes at SFA.  An absolute wealth on info on managing, aging, and judgung WT deer.

Kyle

[elmer]

We are on a state game management plan. Before season we conduct a census. The state tells us how many does to take based on the census. We each are also allowed one trophy buck (4 1/2 years or older) and one cull buck (one unbranched anlter). Club rules call for fining anyone that takes a fawn or button buck.

[Redhawk1]

I don't shoot spike bucks because the are usually 1 1/2 old deer (Late season fawns). The spikes are actually his first antler growth. It is just not true that a spike will always be a spike. Also as far as a buck that has a spike on one side and 3 points on another, does not mean there is a genetic problem. A deer can damage his antlers in the early stage of antler growth and hence a rag horn buck. That is why it is best to see the deer after it 3rd antler growth.


If a hunter wants meat, shot a doe. I don't believe in shooting a young buck  just for the meat. Not when a see plenty of doe's. I have killed a lot of bucks and I try to do better each year. I have quit a few 8, 9 and 10 point bucks and I have put a self imposed 8 point or better and better than my last buck. I mount my quality bucks and there is no need for me to kill a buck just to throw the antlers in a pile in the garage.
My smallest buck mount is a 7 point that was my biggest bow killed buck. I won't shoot or mount anything less unless it was a pie-bald or white buck.

[a45gunslinger]

Bravo Redhawk, you can hunt with us any time..we share the same views.. - Kevin

[aulrich]

Though I can't say that I do the years I have more time and tags I do get more selective. I have to say I am more for limiting access (drawing tags) than point/size restrictions. There was a general mule deer area that had a 3 point restriction there wer some big fork horns an few few bucks. I have not hunted there since it has gone to draw and the buck are way bigger now.

Though most of the places I hunt the only benifit QDM would give me is I would be in the bush longer, the places I hunt just don't get the sort of pressure that you do south of the border. If I had to share 300 acres with 2 other guys I would feel crowded.

Hate to say it here but my favorite meat deer is a yearling or 2 1/2 buck the best quality/quantity, don't worry i also get as many doe tags as I can. 

[SDS-GEN]

My QDM strategy is pretty simple.  Bucks are for the wall does are for the freezer.  I won't mount a deer that isn't bigger than the last one I put on the wall.  God willing, someday I will get big enough deer that I can break this rule.  Someone out for their first deer can shoot whatever they want.

[WylieKy]

We practice QDMA at my club.  Oddly enough, we have never seen a deer that was not "Quality"  .  9 guys hunting 3000+ acres with 60+ deer per square mile.  There have been 40+ deer taken off of the property since season began 09/01.  I have taken 3 and have not hunted in almost a month for personal reasons. 40/60 buck to doe ratio harvested.  We target button bucks, spikes, and fork horns, let the middle of the road bucks go, and hit the big boys.  It's not a rule, but most of us follow it.  The little deer are for the freezer, and the big deer are for the pictures (but get eaten as well) and the ones in between get a chance to be big.  QDMA has a great article on their website about harvesting buttonr and 1st year bucks.  Basically, if you don't take them, they are going to go miles to establish their own territory and will not be on your property by the time they mature.

WyleKy

[Wynn]

I like the way Redhawk thinks. Even here in Florida, where deer run small and numbers are low, QDM can be practiced. I am very fortunate in that I belong to a lease that rigidly practices quality management of the deer and turkey and has done so for many years. We never shoot spikes unless it is a 3 yr old + and there is a consensus of the members that it is a cull buck. Most all of our yearlings are spikes or forkhorns. Does are taken with care in the bow and muzzleloading season in that they do not start dropping fawns in this area until August/September. We mostly hold off until December and January. The rut does not begin until Feb here.(after the season closes) It seems to be unique to this area of central Florida. We plant food plots in the spring and fall with supplemental feeding for nutritional purposes only. All bucks taken are at lest 4 yrs old and at minimum, 6 point with 14" spread. Many 12 points + are taken yearly and run to 170 lbs, which is incredible here in Florida. The turkey benefit from this as well. 1 gobbler per member in the spring with at least a 7" beard. 13 inchers are not uncommon.These are the highly desirable Osceola sub species which is a big +. Hog hunting is all year long and I harvest one whenever I want and feel like dressing it. All in all, I get far more year round pleasure from observing the game and time spent in the woods than just "killing a deer."

[Redhawk1]

WylieKy, although you are correct that the smaller button bucks and spikes are going to go miles to establish their own territory and will not be on your property by the time they mature. But in the same token, button bucks and spike from other area will be moving to your area.

If a doe has two buck fawns and the doe is not killed, the following year before she goes into estrus, she will kick the bucks out of the area anyway's. That is how they keep form inbreeding. QDM is a complex idea but well worth it as a lot of you know.

I am glad to here so many people here reply that are practicing QDM.  ;DAlso here is the QDM web site for anyone that wants to get more info on it.

http://www.qdma.com/

[Land_Owner]

You are describing what appear to be regulations - larger racks or don't take (the "Let Him Go So He Can Grow" brand); taking older deer (seasoned hunters get this - younger ones don't); killing more does (decreasing the doe to buck ratio toward 1 to 1 - athough this is not the goal).

QDM is a LOT more than that.  Take for example food plots for wildlife.  We can improve the soil, till the land, plant palatable forage.  In retrospect, we can't plant enough wildlife forage to begin to support the herd's full nutritional needs.  However, we can improve our own pieces of heaven sufficiently to affect the otherwise random pattern of the herd.  Where a parcel is undifferentiated from the surrounding lands prior to management, it can be made to draw wildlife like a bug zapper draws moths.  QDM is a sounding board for wildlife forages, land management practices, implements, and not unlike this board in its support of all who would prepare a better world for our four-legged vegetarians.

QDM is knowledgable and respected collegiate, corporate, and institutional individuals reporting important break throughs and characteristics about deer, deer diseases (like the spread of CWD), and a host of empirically derived studies in an attempt to understand and learn more and answer some of the most perplexing questions about white tailed deer.  What we don't know about deer is staggering in comparison to what we think we know. 

QDM is about knowledge.  QDM is about seeing more deer, not just looking for the top 5 to 10% of the deer herd.  QDM is about seeing more bucks, aging deer on the hoof, sizing antlers on the hoof, hunting tactics, and collective and shared knowledge.

If you are on the fence regarding this topic, don't ignore QDM because you don't agree with it.  QDM is worth checking out for its committment to the dissemination of information.  You make up your own mind in the long run.  Don't overlook a resource.  Even a Liberal can teach a Conservative a thing or two after observing them closely enough.

[nabob]

I guess that I wouldn't put anyone down for not being able to implement the whole package of QDM. We all do what we figure we can.

[bigbore442001]

Here in southern New England, we don't practice it. Hunting success tends to be lower than other parts of the nation. It is hard to get any deer. I shoot whatever is legal. QDM, in my opinion, would not be practical nor wanted by most hunters.

The game departments have a goal, herd reduction in suburban areas. The last thing they want is hunters to be selective in shooting deer. They get bombarded by homeowners complaining of lost landscaping plants as well as insurance companies complaining of premiums paid out for deer collisions.

Also the land ownership situation would not be feasible. Other parts of the country have large tracts of land in private ownership. Most tracts here are small plots. If you look at a tax map you will see it look like a strange jigsaw puzzle. One guy owns 20 acres next to a 5 acre plot which abuts a state forest of 5000 acres.

I am not hung up on antlers. I believe any deer taken cleanly is a trophy. Last week I shot a 6 pointer, 2 points on one side, 4 on the other with the bow. I know it isn't a book buck but it does taste good.