QDM and friends
 

this is my first buck with my bow that i shot like 2 or 3 years ago.

finally got the pics on the computer and into photobucket. still working on getting all the other pics onto photobucket from years past and this year.

i refuse to shoot anything smaller than this, while everyone else on the property and surrounding areas live and die by the "if its brown its down" philosophy.

i have personal goals and i would rather shoot nothing than shoot a little one. i get beat up on since i havent shot anything but does since i shot this buck. do u people find that the people u hunt with support and respect your decisions to shoot deer of a certain caliber or do they continue to shoot spikes and does, etc and then give you a hard time?

have u ever converted any of them from the dark side, to shooting for higher goals?

and do u find that its worth it, the tradeoff of shooting a nicer buck vs. shooting a buck every year?

just drop in your $.02

not lookin to start any fights, just wondering. this can be a touchy subject i know.

RE: QDM and friends
 

RE: QDM and friends
 

Shoot what you want. Plain and simple, just shoot what you want.

If you want to shoot nothing but big bucks, great......more power to ya. If you want to shoot the first deer you see......again great. This is hunting and different people hunt for different reasons. For some, the size of the antlers does not matter enough to pass on a smaller buck, for others it does.

I have always said that as long as you do your part to try to keep the herds in your area as healthy as you can, then go on and shoot whatever you like. If the herds are not as healthy as they should be (for whatever reason) try to find out what you can do. This mayintale taking more does, it may mean passing on small bucks, or a combination of both. Again, you don't have to do this but it just makes sense to try to do what we can for something that we all like to do, so we can continue to hunt as well as the generations to come.

You can also say "To hell with that I will shoot what I want, herds be damned" Again fine with me as long of course you are not breaking any laws. Nobody can force another to shoot or not shoot a certian specific deer if it's legal to do so, nor should they.

Some states have implemented restrictions, be it the number of bucks you can shoot, to the size of their antlers,to earn a buckprograms. This is intended to try and create a healthy herd with a good buck to doe ratio. Most states where something like this has been implemented are starting to see a healthier overall herd and that is nothing but good for hunters. Overall, Whitetail herds across the countryhave good numbers if not over populated in someareas, so something is working.Things overall are going in the right direction as far as Whitetail deer are concerned so we should just keep it up, and for Gods sake let people shoot what they want. There is no "dark side" and there is no "trade off" just hunting.

Personally, I shoot what strikes my fancy at the time and what I feel I want to shoot. Sometimes I pass on smaller bucks, sometimes I shoot them.

RE: QDM and friends
 

You don't make sense.

First you say "i refuse to shoot anything smaller than this..."

Then you say, "i have personal goals and would rather shoot nothing than shoot a little one."

And THEN you say, "I haven't shot anything but does since i shot this buck."

Are you talking body size or antlers?

Personally I wouldn't waste a bit of time in some sort of competition with my buddies or anyone else (self) as to who can shoot what.

RE: QDM and friends
 

Matt, I am not sure how this isn't clear? He won't shoot anything but does and bucks from that pic and bigger.

KoBear, like BigJ said, hunting is a personal thing. You hunt the way you want to hunt. I love to eat venison. My family and I will eat 4 adult deer in about 6 months. I get picky during bow season, so depending on how many are in the freezer from just after the start of the season to just before the end, will determine what I take and what I don't..... It's all personal.

Hunting is a personal thing ..... that is why you see the butter flying off the popcorn when these topics come up ..... do what you want .... within the law of course.;)

RE: QDM and friends
 

listen guys, i know that its a personal thing, i know that different hunters have different goals. i know all this.

the question was have u ever have u ever converted any of them from the dark side, to shooting for higher goals?

and do u find that its worth it, the tradeoff of shooting a nicer buck vs. shooting a buck every year?

i'm tryin to convince some of my friends to let some smaller ones go since they're the ones always complaining that they're not seeing big bucks.

i am looking for some other angles to help me convert them.

RE: QDM and friends
 

Why don't you just enjoy hunting with each other instead of trying to make them conform to your ideas of what real hunting is?

RE: QDM and friends
 

This is a completely different situation.....

If someone is complaining about not seeing big antlered deer simply ask them how much do they want to killa big antlered deer? If they are lucky enough to live in an area where there are plenty of big antlered deer then the hunter needs to show more patience and pass on thesmaller onesor brush up an their hunting skills.

However, if they live in an area where big antlered deer are few and far between it becomes a different matter. In this situationthey may have to wait many many years before they geta shot on a brute. In this case they can simply shoot does if they just want to kill a deer and wait it out. There is always the option of hunting in a state that does have big antlered buck however this is not alwaysa viable option for some.

The above is what I recommened for those who complain about not shooting big deer.

If everyone else on your propertyis happy with their "if it's brown it's down" way of thinking then good for them and you should be happy for them too.

Somehow your story does not add up. How are you getting "beat up on"?

Are your buddies giving you a hard timeand razzing you for not killing anybuck? If so......SO WHAT? Who cares, you hunt for you. Tell them you are happy with what you kill and that is all that should matter. Tell them that you don't give them grief for shooting what they shoot.

I somehow can't see the "if it's brown it's down" group that'shunting on the same property giving you the hard time because I'm sure they are shooting does as well.

So are you talking about two different groups of people........or is this just your way of pushing your views of QDM on us?;)

RE: QDM and friends
 

yea, thats EXACTLY what i am doing... trying to push QDM on you.

honestly, forget it. these boards used to be a good place to get info and wasnt full of people attacking eachother and general off-topic nonsense.

i was just looking for someone to give me some information that could help me try to pull everyone together in my area to help us all see more and bigger bucks, cause there isnt one person who hunts that wouldnt want to see bigger bucks more often.

also, i am a firm believer that the amount of shooting that happens forces the deer out of our area and they hide all day up near the developments.

so i was trying to convince them to try hunting a different way and it would benefit both us, as hunters, and the deer population.

RE: QDM and friends
 

KoBear.. about the best thing you can do is continue to do what you yourself preach.

The next thing would be to contact the QDM people and they will send you information that you can hand out to your friends. But honestly, if they want to shoot any deer they see.. their is not much else you could do.

Unless you had a good supply of smoke bombs!:D

RE: QDM and friends
 

Kobear, just keep on doing what your doing......your doing whats right form a QDM stand point..

RE: QDM and friends
 

My grandfather owns 2000+ acres in a county that is a 4 points on one side only county. I would call myself a novice hunter due to only 6 years of hunting under my belt and it wasn't until this year that I took my first buck (with a rifle) If you think it is tough convincing your friends QDM is a good idea try convincing a 70 year old man that maybbe he should take the occasional doe. On our property we regularly see 30-40 does every evening so all of the big bucks say to hell with coming out during legal light but he will not shoot one. I think because QDM is a recently developed entity; it will take a while to really catch hold. You can't just change years and years of beliefs. just my opinion. Any one else hunt in 4 point or better counties and see improvements. The only problem I see with this is that you can get young 2.4 year old bucks that are 7-8 pointers taken that could become real bruisers.

RE: QDM and friends
 

Nice

RE: QDM and friends
 

Sounds like you're from the dark side...... I think people should hunt the way they want, as long as it's legal & ethical.

RE: QDM and friends
 

Network with people. I have spots you can shoot until your out of arrows all with in a half hour period. I also have areas you better pass up everything small because you will see big during you hunt and even then a huge one 150+ may walk by. There are those people out there and spots.

RE: QDM and friends
 

Hey! Just where the hell was I attacking you?????

You asked a question and while in the process of my trying to answer it as best I could to HELP you I noticed some inconsistancies in your story and asked for some clarification. Yet instead of clarifying it you throw a hissy. Remember you asked for our $.02

I'm sorry if you don't like to hear that people have the right to shoot whatever they want (as long as it's legal) but that's how it is.

My responces were neither off topic nor an attack on you, I simply suggested there might be an ulterior motive for your post. You're the one who used the terms "dark side" and "trade off" and "higher goals" sounds pretty condescending to me to those who simply don't choose to hunt the way you do.

Whatever.......

RE: QDM and friends
 

ok, the dark side comment was just a lil joke, didnt want u to take it to heart. i apologize if u did and you were offended.

trade off.... how can it not be a trade off? you shoot less deer but you shoot bigger racked deer. that is a trade off.

and higher goals, yea, holding out to shoot a deer that had more than 3 points on a side would be what many would call higher goals.

i am not attacking or trying to be condescending to you or anyone else who is perfectly happy shooting a spike. a spike is a trophy to some. i was there early in my hunting career. there was a point in time that a spike to me was a reason to call everyone in my phonebook and scream on top of my lungs. but i rather pass on that and let my lil brother or cousin have a shot at it. but the people i hunt with the majority of the time all have a bunch of bucks under their belts and continue to shoot small bucks and complain bc i am the only one shooting deer that are not 1 and a half years old (which is the average age of a buck shot in NJ). if this is not your philosophy, dont take it to heart, but a comment from you isnt necessary. i was asking for comments from people who are like minded and have instituted a QDM plan on their property, i was wondering how they did it and pulled everyone together.

and to suggest that i have an "ulterior motive" seemed kinda rude to me and i was offended and felt that i needed to become defensive.

RE: QDM and friends
 

Just keep doing what you are doing. Hunt for yourself. Your actions speak louder than words. Once people see what you are accomplishing, they'll come to you for advice. At least the ones interested in big deer will. Those are the ones that will listen.

Good luck.

RE: QDM and friends
 

Kobear, I noticed you are from NJ. I'm also from NJ. Your in a tough state to preach QDM. "Brown it's down" is the management philosophy here.A couple questions 1) how old are you and how old are your friends that hunt the same piece? How many friends? How big is the piece? Does the piece get pounded with guns? Do you or a family member own the piece? Here's the deal, I'm 34 now butwas in the same boat as you 10 years ago. The best advice I can give you is stay the course. Lead by example. Become a better hunter. When you start taking bigger deer your buddies will take notice. I wouldn't call it the "dark side" it offends people. After all we were all there once. Some move on from that some don't. Hunting is all about personal choices and personal goals. If you can answer the questions above I can can give you more thoughts and opinions. P.S. Bridgewater has some huge bucks!

RE: QDM and friends
 

do u people find that the people u hunt with support and respect your decisions to shoot deer of a certain caliber or do they continue to shoot spikes and does, etc and then give you a hard time?
Everyone I hunt with shoots what makes them happy, so do I, it works.

have u ever converted any of them from the dark side, to shooting for higher goals?
No, I'm not entitled to make those decisions for them.Their goals are their own choices and should be. Dark side? Grow up.

and do u find that its worth it, the tradeoff of shooting a nicer buck vs. shooting a buck every year?
Refer to answer to first question.

RE: QDM and friends
 

I was trying to stay out of this but couldn't.
Kobear,
I applaud you for your efforts. The moment someone even remotely tries to share thier opinions about letting younger bucks pass they get crucified. It's a shame. About your buddies razzing you, just keep firing back. When they bust on you for not getting anything, throw out all the ones you passed on that you COULD have killed. And when you do shoot one, make sure they know it. Make sure they know that with some patience and sefl control, you all could have a chance to be shooting nice ones. Good luck. I remember the 1st time I told my Dad I wasnt going to shoot the 1st buck by. He looked at me like I just told him I was going to eat the family pet. It was incomprehensible to him.He just couldn't understand why. 3 mounts on the wall later and he's got a good understanding of why I do it.

I've run into several guys who see some of the nice deer I've killed and say "I been hunting 30 some years and never took a buck like that." But they've alwaysshot the 1st one by themin those 30 years.

RE: QDM and friends
 

You don't describe what your situation is: i.e. leased, public land, or private, but here's my take...

If you are a guest or on public land, shoot (or pass) what your host declares "fair game".

If it's a lease, shoot what makes you happy or find some like minded guys and start another.

If it's your land, tell your buddies what is fair game, if they can't abide by your wishes, dis-invite them.

I live in Jersey as well. While we have a long season, no Sunday hunting and long workdays really don't leave me much time to hunt. Hunting public land I always try to take a doe for the table first and hold out for a mature buck, but, at a certain point in the season, an easy shot at a legal deer is... venison.


U_R

RE: QDM and friends
 

Kobear,

I understand what you were trying to ask and I posted twice giving you my opinion, I was just replying to your post about you accusing me of attacking you, which I didn't.

Thank you for clearing up the whole condensending issue, I'm glad to hear (read) that this was not your contention.

I understand your plight,I think rybohunter said it but I too get questioned about how I was able to shoot the bucks I have, and I replied similar asking them if they always shoot the first buck that walks by.

Perhaps I worded my responces the wrong waybutI am very weary of those who post about QDM when in reality ALL they really care about is antlers. Maybe I put you in that catagory and I shouldn't have, I apologize if I did.

Good luck trying to get the others to see things your way but please realize this may be an up hill battle. If the others you hunt with are truely bitching and complaining about small bucks then as GregH put it, your actions will speak louder than words.

Good luck.

RE: QDM and friends
 

The best thing I did for QDM on my place is I got a trail camera. It shows you what is out there. Year after year you can show the people that don't believe in QDM how much a deer can grow in a year. Then after two years of pics take a picuture of the same buck and ask then which deer would you shoot. Most of them would pick the bigger buck and tell them it is the same deer just a year later. Just my .02