ORIGINAL: SteveBNy
From a personal perspective I saw more 2.5 year old year old bucks in last years archery season than ever before,I saw 10 racked bucks,that would have made the three on a side criteria.I know it is working.
Here in 7j (no AR), I saw at least 12 bucks w/3 per side at least that where obviously 1 1/2 yo. My hunting partner saw even more. 75% plus of our sitings. Under the AR in 3c & j, all would meet the criteria of legal. How would targeting them make the herd "healthy here?
The gentleman who was the driving force behind the introduction of it is a friend and fellow QDMA member.
Supposedly QDMA is not about antler size, but a balanced collection of conditions that must bemet for in order to achieve a healthy herd - older (not bigger racked) bucks is claimed to be a side benefit and not the goal in any way. Why would QDMA members be the driving force behind a method of management whose goal is not the one claimed to be the reason for QDMA practise?
To me this perfectly supports Atlas's claim that (at least here in NY), the small but vocal push for mandatory AR (by mainly QDMA members) is nothing more then an attempt to mandate TM and hide it as QDM.
Steve
Steve the issue on the other end is guys wanting deer numbers artifically high so it is "easy".
I can only speak of MI, but when it got a little tough in Northern MI and UP the hunters left. Seems to be tough in NY in spots now and big suprise hunters are whining. You should here the MI guys
Lets be honest both groups want to make it easier for them. Which is why we have this bickering, and it is what keeps Atlas up at night
Do a little reading on QDM. It does not mean shoot a doe, sometimes it does not. The biggest issue with QDM IMO is guys trying to tell others how to practice it with no clue. It is not a set rule, it looks at the area in question and you go from there. It may be you do not shoot any does.
From what i know AR have nothing to do with QDM