ORIGINAL: bluebird2
Once again, the data from PA refutes your theory. There is nothing to indicate that the rut is occurring earlier than in the past and there is nothing to indicate that the rut should occur earlier. The goal was to reduce the breeding window , not to have the rut occur earlier.
QDM is no more natural than traditional deer management. Keeping more buck in the herd than is necessary, while harvesting the biggest buck at 3.5-4.5 is not how nature works. QDM just tries to redefine terms to justify managing the herd for bigger bucks.
who told you that QDM is about big buck management? It's about herd health in relation to carrying capacity of the habitat.