ORIGINAL: Rob/PA Bowyer
QDM (not antler management) in it's true form is about the animal/species. It may or may not be what hunters want but it's not about hunters. Hunting is all about deer management, we are managers, we manage the herd through hunting licensing and filling tags. Why not manage for a quality herd?
EXACTLY. This has become misconstrued over the years here in PA by many hunters. I sat in on one of Alt's presentations in the early years of PA's QDM (and antley restrictions). The MAIN focus of his plan (from what I gathered) was focused on creating a HEALTHIER herd that specific environments could sustain. The antler restrictions were simply a by-product (although a good one). Alt showed studies done on fenced off sections of state game lands in relation to those left out to serve as deer browse, and the results were quite alarming. PA's system was aimed at lowering deer numbers (which is why many guys complain), but im my opinion, that was the intended goal...so as to make the herd healthier maintain and keep the numbers to what the partiular environment could sustain. QDM and antler restrictions have become snyonomous over they years, when, imho, they are different.
This type of management I'm all for. It's looking out for the species.