QDM


Born2Hunt

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Re: QDM

Most definately!!!!!!

First time hunters looking for their first deer or buck can take anything above 2.5 years old as far as bucks and any mature doe

otherwise bucks only over 4.5 years old or wouned bucks ect. gotta use common sense on that part, and all the mature does you can!!!!!!!

also plant a food plot with clover, alfalfa, and chicory, too bad the deer ate it to the ground before we got a chance to hunt it!

Taken some great bucks off this land and only after 4 years of management and we can really see the results already!

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Re: QDM

Think we are giving up with trying to practice QDM here. Have added some new plots over the past 3 or 4 years. Been passing any bucks 2 1/2 and under, and harvesting about as many does as bucks every year for the past 3 years.

Results are everyone around us is still whacking everything they see. Deer numbers and older age bucks around here instead of being on the rise for some reason have really plummitted the past two years.

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Re: QDM

I have been trying to get a QDM program underway on my land(62acres). I have planted food plots and fertilized the many apple trees I have around the property.

What I like to do is, for hunters who have shot bucks before, not to shoot spikes. I have a long term plan to make my land a haven for small bucks. Let them get comfortable on my land knowing they won't be shot. That way they can get comfortable when they get bigger on their home range I am bordered by a 400 acre hunting camp, who guys shoot anything that passes. I try to stress my plans to all who hunt on my land. I have LONG term plans for my 3 sons to hunt there in a few years. Only one is of deer hunting age now(14).

I am gonna try to get the hunting club on board with my plan and maybe even get them to share some expenses of the QDM . But thats gonna be a hard one. To them QDM is putting corn out the night before your hunt mad.gif

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Re: QDM

Myself and most of the guys in the surrounding area practice QDM. We all have been at this for a long time and have no desire to shoot small bucks. We have no imposed restrictions, just mature deer. We all know what that means and so far it is working out. We harvest several does each year as well.

For the past several years, we are all reporting seeing more bucks and much bigger bucks.

Practicing QDM for big bucks means each one of us might eat a tag, but each year at least a few of us score on some good mature bucks. It is working out well for all of us so far.

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Re: QDM

QDM is the best thing since sliced bread!

My group took over operation of a big ranch in West Texas 5 years ago. The previous "hunters" had completely shot it out. There were very few deer and almost no bucks. The first year we did not shoot anything. Second year we shot a few does. Third year we started shooting cull bucks and continued shooting a few does. Today, it's very unusual for me to go hunting and not see at least 2 or 3 bucks with 8 points or more. During the past month I've videoed 3 different 10 points at close range that would all score well over 140 B&C, plus numerous others that would score between 120 and 140. We've got several larger bucks on trailcam that are shooters (150+), and we've seen 2 during the season, but so far no one's managed to get one on the ground.

We supplemental feed year round with both food plots (about 600 acres worth), and free choice protein pellets.

That ranch is a text book example of the potential of properly managing a herd.

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Re: QDM

i sure do!!!

i incorporate it into my classroom!! I put emphasis in a quality deer herd and not just a pure quantity deer herd

i have a small tract of property (15 acres) but i have seen tons of results in the short time we have been on the land

my students like to see big bucks also small bucks

it is a great program to show diversity in age and structure of deer and how it effects the overall health of the herd

good tymes

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Re: QDM

We don't practice QDM. Never have and probably never will unless the condition of our herd mandates it.

We believe in personal choice and view all deer as trophies no matter what the gender or rack size. A trophy is in the eye of the beholder.

We don't condemn those that practice QDM but neither do we tolerate those that look down their noses and criticize us or try to shove their practices down our throats.

If QDM works for you, thats great! We don't practice it and not practicing it works for us. We see mature heavy racked bucks every year in addition to huge does and countless younger bucks. We may not harvest one of the big boys every year but they are there. This year, our neighbors got lucky instead of us. wink.gif

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Guest generallee

Re: QDM

For the most part i practice QDM, ive hunted my property for 3 years and this is the first year ive allowed myself to shoot a buck. Its been all does, until this year, and ive seen 1 monster and another real nice 8 point that i ended up harvesting. I took a small buck by accident(thought he was bigger), but i have passed up 6 small bucks this year. Ive also started to get the nutrition program going, and put my first food plots in this fall.

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Re: QDM

I would never look down on you for shooting smaller deer. The trophy is in the eye of the beholder. A hunter should respect every animal they harvest and look at it as a trophy. I have also taken smaller bucks in the past and was very proud but for the last 5 yrs I have practiced QDM as a challenge and to increase the quality of the deer herd.

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Re: QDM

There are many that don't see QDM as an overall deer management tool. They see it as trophy deer management. Be sure of your goals and set them realistically, you won't get Iowa deer in Southern states. I think that the QDM crowd's biggest problem in the future will be it's attitude toward other hunters. Legal and ethical harvests should not be looked down upon, even though that spike could have been a heavy horned beast. Keep your heads about you when talking to others about your deer management....they are all trophies!!

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Re: QDM

NOPE. NOt possible where I live and hunt. I don't own the land so I can't decide what gets shot and what doesn't. Plus our DNR only gives one doe tag and most guys won't use it. Lucky for us we live where we have light enough pressure and huge blocks of cover for bucks to grow old in.

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Re: QDM

[ QUOTE ]

I would never look down on you for shooting smaller deer. The trophy is in the eye of the beholder. A hunter should respect every animal they harvest and look at it as a trophy. I have also taken smaller bucks in the past and was very proud but for the last 5 yrs I have practiced QDM as a challenge and to increase the quality of the deer herd.

[/ QUOTE ]

Posts like this are why I like this site best.

I've been battling with a QDM advocate on another site purely due to his attitude towards those that don't practice QDM. Others have been battling with him also...not because of QDM, but rather his attitude.

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Re: QDM

[ QUOTE ]

I think that the QDM crowd's biggest problem in the future will be it's attitude toward other hunters. Legal and ethical harvests should not be looked down upon, even though that spike could have been a heavy horned beast. Keep your heads about you when talking to others about your deer management....they are all trophies!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Another excellent post!

You need to talk to this guy on this other forum! Hes turning everyone off to QDM simply with his attitude.

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Re: QDM

Depends where I hunt.

When I'm with ohiobucks on his buddys' property we concentrate on filling crop damage tags (does), and all the little bucks get to walk. A shooter down there better be as wide as his ears, and have a score of at least 130, but more like 140+.

If I'm not with Tom, any doe is on the table (haven't had a shot on a doe yet this season), and I like to shoot at least a Pope and Young quality deer.

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Re: QDM

I think that some people have forgetten what QDM actually is. It is not just about getting that buck of a lifetime, it is more creating a healthier deer heard by taking more does and getting the numbers down to create a healthier environment for the deer to live in. Taking bigger and more mature bucks is just a step at creating a deer heard with an older age structure. I truly believe it works and do not try to offend anyone who shoots a younger buck but I am just presonaly very passionate about this topic. Here in New York we have not had a bad winter in quite a few years, but because our deer numbers are up if we do have a harsh winter many of our deer are going to die because of lack of food. QDM is a method to try to get the numbers to a managable size so that there would not be as many deer killed due to lack of food and they could be healthier to survive conditions like that.

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