Theres no reason not to manage!!!!!!!

[slughunter]

This is my testemonial for establishing a QDM program. For the past 3 years Me and a freind of mine have been manageing a 133 acre farm with land all around it that doesnt get touched by humans at all. Every night is fun because you always see deer and there is never a boring moment. we have a 90 acre sanctuary and lots of food sources. This season is the one were we have hunted it hard and the results have shown. my buddy took a 186 4/8 inch buck and the other day I got a nice 10 pointer (score is unknown).

So my point is that if you have the right conditions to establish a QDM program there is no reason not to, the results will show.

-shane

[wtnhunt]

[ QUOTE ]
So my point is that if you have the right conditions to establish a QDM program there is no reason not to, the results will show.


[/ QUOTE ]

That is a key factor right there. I sure wish the people hunting around me would be more willing to work together, but that just wont ever happen so my efforts really are beginning to seem useless.

[nutz4bucks]

Alot of talk about bucks. But where is the talk about does. thats the other half of qdm isn't it..... Or are you just a trophy hunter...

[hoytguy08]

i wish i had land that manageable but my family only owns 40 acres and the surrounding lands are shotgun hunted hard and they kill anything and everything, i shoot several does every year and wait for mature bucks , but its hard to do when a lot of the bucks are killed before they are mature

[Gator]

If I had land I could manage, then I would TRY and do that, but since I don't, ain't gonna happen!!!!!!!!

[PAstringking]

[ QUOTE ]
If I had land I could manage, then I would TRY and do that, but since I don't, ain't gonna happen!!!!!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

same here. i own 80 have access to 120 or something like that and as soon as i leave the locals push my property and shoot everything.

legal or illegal...i doesnt matter

i wish i could own a ton of acres and keep it untouched.

[Randy]

Nobody here mentions even talking to the neighbors. If everybody assumes that the neighbors aren't for it it never will happen. The neighbors probably want a better deer herd too but say, "the neighbors shoot anything."

[wtnhunt]

[ QUOTE ]
Nobody here mentions even talking to the neighbors. If everybody assumes that the neighbors aren't for it it never will happen. The neighbors probably want a better deer herd too but say, "the neighbors shoot anything."

[/ QUOTE ]

You have not read many of my posts in here. I have attempted to work with some of the neighbors around me. One up the road will tell you he hunts for meat, he will shoot at anything he sees, same neighbor fussed at me for checking my deer in before taking it to him to process it for me. I process my own now.

Other neighboring leaseholders I have had several discussions with. The guy who has the lease in his name directly behind me where there are supposed to be just 3 guys hunting, told me they were not shooting little deer they wanted to manage the property. Funny thing was after our discussion I watched several 1.5 year olds cross the river going to them only to be shot after I passed them up. Had another neighbor that does not deer hunt tell me straight up that I was pretty gullible if I believed those boys would pass on anything. They told me that just so I would not shoot the deer, so they could . Same group, the boy I talked to last in the group, his brother on Thanksgiving day about 3 years ago shoots 4 times and I see a spike walk across my field a while later. The spike was young and had been shot, I called them and he said his brother did not even look for the deer, but that he had in fact shot at the young spike, this just a week or so after him telling me they were going to pass the little ones . That spike had a chunk of flesh I could see looked like he skinned high above the shoulder, dont know how the deer was not spined, but he walked on across the field and I noticed he had been hit right as he was walking into the woods when I put my binos on him.

Property next to that my sister in laws husband used to work for the man who is hunting that land, and he does not own or lease it, but supposedly has permission. While I have never talked to the man myself, my sister in laws husband tells me that he shoots anything that moves, and I posted not too long back about this sorry slob. My wife used to work with the mans wife and she told my wife pretty well the same thing. The guy repeatedly shoots multiple shots, loses a lot of deer and continues to shoot them right here behind my property .

[ousoonerfan22]

Same here wtnhunt the neighbors always shoot at something in the mornings and evenings during the gun season,we have wondered how they could be seeing that many deer especially bucks when some days aren't doe days.Then they will allow others to hunt after their freezer is full so the young bucks don't have a chance.
There are some around here who would like to let the young bucks grow but you always hear the same thing "if I don't shoot him somebody else will" so deer management has to start some where.
I've convinced my son to let some of the bucks walk if he wants to have a chance at a mature buck.
I wish others would do the same.

Brian

[anderson3]

Keep one thing in mind about passing on smaller bucks: With or without QDM, you are less likely to shoot a big buck if you fill your tag with the first little one that shows up.

[wtnhunt]

[ QUOTE ]
you are less likely to shoot a big buck if you fill your tag with the first little one that shows up.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, and in situations like here with neighboring shooters like we have here, if you pass up all the little(2.5 year old and younger) bucks you see, chances are you will go with an empty freezer year after year. Best chance here of getting a good deer are before the gun seasons open, if you have not taken one by then, the odds of killing anything really plummit.

[MUDRUNNER]

There is no doubt that under the right conditions QDM works great,but much like wtnhunt,our conditions are far from ideal.About 4 years ago I decided to not shoot 1 1/2 old bucks any more,and have only killed two bucks since, including this year.It's something I have no problem dealing with as long as I put some doe meat in the freezer.On one property I hunt me and my cousin are the only ones with permission, and he's been using the same rule as me for 2 1/2 and up.Since we've been doing this I haven't seen any increase in the number of big bucks at all.We don't really do this really for management,but because we like to shoot a little bigger deer.

We have a few things going against us.
#1-we don't own the property, and the owners don't want us to put food plots in...they keep the property a certain way and that's how they like it.No biggy,I'm just happy to have a place to hunt.
#2-Our properties are small.One is 30 acres,and the other is about 100,and both have heavy hunting pressure on surrounding properties,especially during gun season.

If I had my own property,and it was relatively large I would absolutely strictly manage it,but odds are it will never happen,so for the moment the 1 1/2 olds get a free pass till next year.

[anderson3]

Yep, and in situations like here with neighboring shooters like we have here, if you pass up all the little(2.5 year old and younger) bucks you see, chances are you will go with an empty freezer year after year. Best chance here of getting a good deer are before the gun seasons open, if you have not taken one by then, the odds of killing anything really plummit.

[/ QUOTE ]


That is often true, wtn. My home property is about like yours in that regard. That's why we shoot does to fill the freezer. Lots of folks who are extremely pleased with QDM programs do not shoot a buck every year. If your definition or expectation of deer management is to get a nice buck every year, then you would certainly need good conditions (if not a high fence) to pull that off.

[wtnhunt]

You are right anderson, but unfortunatley after 6 years of attempting to take as many or more does than bucks, we know have a concern that our overall population might be in trouble. With a low fawn rate this past spring and the number of does in the area being the least we have seen in a number of years, we have decided to let the does walk unless we had signifcant reason to believe there were more does around.

[LETMGROW]

Frankly, And I realize I am going to really get blasted for this statement, there is only one way the smaller bucks will be allowed to grow up. We must all push for laws regarding antler restrictions. Any other method is not going to be effective except on maybe privately owned or leased land. Then only if you have total cooperation from your neighbors. I personally as a QDMA member hate to say this but I am finding this more true every day. I sincerely thought the seminars and education we have brought forth would have had an impact on peoples thinking. If in fact it has made a difference I am not seeing a result.
The QDMA is a great organization in my opinion, however it only boasts of 40,000 members. This may seem like a lot, but given the number of deer hunters across this country, it is a very small number.
Not long ago I would have argued education was much better than legislation. The reality in my mind, is some people are not willing to learn or practice what they have learned.
Take this from here if you like. I'm just expressing my opinion.