How are you hurting the health of the herd to let a mature deer walk? That animal in my neck of the woods is by far in the minority?
We all have a choice as to what we choose to kill.I don't kill deer to impress anyone and don't brag on any animal that I have been fortunate enough to shoot.
You don't need to justify what you choose to kill to me (I bellieve that is your contention) and I don't need to justify what I kill to you.The fellow that started this thread just asked a question,he didn't ask our feelings about QDM.
I know that the challenge of killing a certain age class buck has to do with the experience that animal has garnered over it's life and has nothing to do with his head gear,but to me a great part of the satisfaction of taking an animal such as that is to be able to admire it on the wall for my own enjoyment,not just meat in the freezer and throwing the antlers in a box.