Well you are right on both accounts about SW VT. There are alot of deer and hunters. A lot of does!! I fish in Bennington County and see does moving around mid day frequenly. In fact, when I fish there I see deer more often than not!!

No doubt QDM will cut the buck harvest. Thats what it is designed to do, reduce the number of young males taken. I think you hit the nail on the head about QDM. Its all about your expectations. If you want more deer vs better deer, than QDM antler restrictions and doe culling are not for you. That still dosn' t excuse not culling does to balance the herd with the habitat though. As we know that that played the biggest part in the herd decline in the 70' s. And yes, I know that that culling does is not a very popular concept with alot of Vermonters. Some still claim the doe season ruined the hunting! The sad truth is that even if VT doubled or tripled the herd, there will always be people wanting more deer.

Now with all that aside. QDM or not, if Vermont' s herd was like it was in say 1965, guess where I would do all my hunting??? Am I jelous of that era??? You bet !! My father hunted VT in the Groton/ Marshfield/Plainfield area from 1957-1983. Sometimes he would hunt around Rutland area as well. He took a buck every year from 1959-1978, and a few after. In the 50' s and 60' s, he would see 20-40 deer daily, mostly does. By the early 70' s, things got tough, and by the 80' s he gave up and started hunting other states. His rack collection is impressive in number, especially for a guy like me who works hard just to see deer, let alone take a buck!!

Either way, I hope for the best for the herd. I love going to Vermont, and fish there all the time. (Was just up in Maidstone area last weekend) It would only be my pleasure to hunt there over a decent herd with a few nice bucks!!