management

[Black Bull]

How many of you are prone QDM.
Been doing it for over 6 years,and deer herd increase from 20 to around 60 in 2004.Out of it ,12 pointers 10 and 8 pointers been shot .with no effect on herd.I hunt for 8 points and up. and big sterile does.
The wood lot is only 40 acres with a brook and dense woods.

Maurice :teehee: :teehee: :teehee: :teehee: :teehee: :teehee: :teehee:

[Grunter]

I'm definitely interested in learning more about it for out west but I haven't heard nor found any information indicating what is or is not permissable for Quality Deer Management... Anyone got the info handy?

[WOOKIE]

Sure isn't big out here. Out east it is all you hear about. I would like to learn more too.

[Black Bull]

In a few words,QDM is hunt 8 points and more,protect does and calves,harvest only sterile does.
Provide good quality food plot is a +.
Maurice

[394-NTELK]

I have to say no to the whole qdm idea,when I go hunting my top objective is to fill my freezer ,I also belive it hurts our sport as it makes it look as though large antlers is all hunters are after,how about the first time hunter who feels they have to bag a monster or there animal is somehow inferior . Now don't get me wrong I would love to shoot a booner one day but like I said before meat first.If its your land go ahead make your own rules ,just not on public land.remember a trophy is in the eye of the beholder and any animal with stick and string should be considered such thank you.

[noobarcheryhunter]

in our family...we shoot whatever moves...deer ofcourse... we have a hard enough time seeing deer...for some reason that we take any chance we get to shoot one.. last year i saw 6 does coming in from a corn field...and earlier i had heard a bucks antlers hit some branches and figured id wait but when that doe crossed my shooting lane that was it...i shot. and got her... i dont like taking the chance of not getting one and waiting to see if that bucks gonna come out... but if im in a situation where theres a food plot and there are does and phawns in the field...ill wait till its last shooting light to see if a buck comes out...if not ill take a doe... or maybe a spike if theres one..i hunted 6 years without seeing one deer(while hunting). on the other hand my dads friend...his first year hunting. with me and my dad he caught 2 does..pfff.. beginners luck is what i say haha.. i started when i was 10.....i hunt moose too and never saw one while hunting neither.... the thing that is getting to me lately is our effort in hunting... as a teenager we tend to be a little lazy......ok maybe a lot.. ive realized how much i dont pay attention to scent reduction..other then using scent away soaps and w/e.. but we never put on scent away spray or any of that sort..i also feel that my father and I dont really watch our wind very carefully. we tend to go for the easiest route in..ive been talking to my dad and hes surprised on how seriously im taking this year.. ever since that 14 pointer encounter :D.lol. now that we have the help of 2 good food plots maybe it will make us more productive. I just hope i have the strength to let some smaller ones go by... im thinking no... its so hard for me. but maybe ill get lucky and see that bruiser lol. since my dads friend started hes gotten 3 deer.. and its only been 2 years... my dad got his big buck 2 years ago which im going to try and find the picture of and post it on here. now hopefully ill get my buck.. as i wasnt lucky with my doe last year...(long story)and not something i feel like sharing... but anyways back on topic... the first thing on my mind would be to use qdm but we have many deer in our area and i dont see what catching the older bucks will do... isnt it mostly them who mate with the does?. not that i dont want that bruiser haha. i think its a good idea for people who have their own land.. wow i wrote a lot sorry if i bored you but im on :flame: with thoughts right now.

[Grunter]

I think that QDM is essential and should be encouraged for anyone that is interested in harvesting a buck (or bull for that matter, maybe we can call it Quality Ungulate Management :-?).

Most places I've been, whether we're hunting, fishing, camping or scouting - a lot of the bucks are pretty small... not too many around that have lived 3+ years and that's not healthy for the herds. Deer need to mature into healthy adults in order to carry forward generations of healthy herds - or face an unfair demise.

Anyone that is primarily hunting for food in the freezer should definitely not be concerned with bucks and then QDM isn't as important although a hunter should still be taking in consideration whether that doe is mature or not... shooting multiple does (where licenses permit) because they're smaller doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. Here too there is a potential for altering the future of a herd.

[394-NTELK]

QDM based on what I have read does nothing more then grow antelers now in the areas I hunt there is no shortage of deer infact for the last 3+years I would say (as would all the locals I talk to)the deer population is on the rise,the buck to doe ratio seems close as last year I saw 19 doe's and 11 bucks yes most bucks are 1 1/2-2 1/2 years old but the sheds I find in the spring prove that the older boys are still around also(SEE PIC'S IN GALLERY SEC.)Genetics has nothing to do with the herd as a fawn carrys the same geans at birth as it does at 5 1/2.Now granted the areas you hunt are more then likley much different then the areas I hunt so qdm may work in your area ,I guess my only real problem with qdm is do you (or whoever)want it only so you can shoot a big buck or is it to build up a herd?If its only for antelers then why not have buck or doe only tags in your area? This topic is like the which is the best cal. topic I think it will stir alot of debate kinda fun anyway. just my two cents p.s 270win

[Grunter]

Great points 394, I've only been to Manitoba twice - both times at Caddy Lake and I only saw a couple 'tiny' deer in those two trips so I cannot comment on the situation in MB but in my own personal experience within Alberta, we have far too high a doe-to-buck population and most of the bucks around are not mature ones (personal reflection only).

QDM is meant to bring together landowners, hunters and the local Fish & Wildlife office to work towards a balanced, biological environment that improves herd management. Yes it could very well assist in stronger antler development but it will also help build and sustain healthy populations for the region and the available habitat that can support them. In other words, it is beneficial for the wildlife as well as the recreational sportsmen and farmers.

QDM shouldn't mean that you plant a 5-10 acre food plot and setup a shooting shack in the middle of it, like we've all seen many times (or used to, thanks to the CRTC) on American-based shows of the past. From what I've heard there are many states that are practically overrun with deer so thinning them out is actually a task and they can sustain that type of management but it's not the same up here in my point of view.

[Black Bull]

QDM is to increase herds ,in deers numbers but mostly in healthier deers so deer get larger and heavier.Whitetails in Florida are a large dog size,weighthing in 80/100 #
Increasing hunting deers numbers will thinnner the deers population and will help increase size.
In the past ,predators where doing their job,now it is to us to regulate deers number and size.
We ,hunters must readjust our thinking,to protect deer herds,Here in Quebec, we had to close areas to hunting for over 10 years,cause there was no more deers to hunt.In 1960 deers harvest was .09% of hunting licence,now we are talking close to 50% of hunting licence harvest.
Don't wait until there is no deers to hunt ,to start managing the herds.In my area we have a 1 month archery season with over 60% harvest.2 weeks rifle hunting with a 25% harvest and a black powder 2 weeks season for 40/50% harvest.In 40 years we change from near extinc deers population in some area to a prolific hunting harvest.
In USA they get similar result with QDM.I know it does not please every one but with increase hunting pressure ,low genetic strenght,sickness like CWD will have is toll on our deer population.Think about it and don't do the mistake our forefathers did ,thinking that
deers would last for ever.
Taureau noir :lolouch:

[ACC3-28]

I'm not sure 100% what you are managing for here, a larger heard size or a larger average buck size. If you are looking to manage heard size on a 40 acre piece of property, I would look at habitat quality and improvement first. Failing that because the area is not large enough to effectively play with population growth rates and other demographics, I would make the area bucks only. I hunt bucks only, because bucks in the grand scheam of things are sperm donors and dead beat dads; killing one buck accounts for one individual of the population over time, where as killing one doe accounts for multiple individuals in the population over time. To elaborate, when a doe is harvested you not only harvest her, but the offspring she could potentially have over time, this number would vary. I don't know how many hunters you have on this property, but if it's only you, then I wouldn't worry about what buck you select, taking one individual from the male population is not going to effect the antler growth of all age structures within the population. Genetics and nutrient resources play a more important role in antler growth than harvest numbers, so i'm not sure I would worry about how big or small of a buck I harvested, if I were looking to increase antler size. I don't believe however that you can atribute the larger antler size you have been seeing over time to QDM though, there are probably a number of contributing factors.