QDMA or Antler farming?
06-18-2007, 03:43 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Sturgis, SD
Posts: 1,983
QDMA or Antler farming?
Since the last thread garnered about 15 pages of replies and is long gone how about another. I didn't comment in the last thread but read the entire thing. I wasn't sure what QDMA was all about so I read the posts, it seems from an article in Field and Stream that there may be a difference of opinion from the top brass at the QDMA and what the general tone of the last thread was.
Field and Stream ran an aticle this month on the "Oakland Hunting Club" in South Carolina in the new issue. This is an very expensive, exclusive club that manages intensively for the purpose of growing trophy racks from what I can tell.The link to the articleis at the end and , read it and draw your own conclusions.
Basically, they havevery stringent harvest rules, some set by age, but also including cull bucks. If you deviate from the rules you are penalized hunting time during therut. Theyare required to video every buck they see while hunting then theentire camp goes over all the tapes every night. Here is a quote from the exucutive director of the QDMA:
[quoteThese guys are at the leading edge of deer management," says Brian Murphy, executive director of the nonprofit, 50,000-member Quality Deer Management Association. "More and more clubs are intensively managing their deer. What they're doing at Oakland is not unheard of, but it's still rare. The good-news part of this is that these guys have accomplished in South Carolina—not necessarily known as a big-deer state—what was once thought impossible."][/quote]
Seems that the management is set up for trophy deer, the aricle states as much and also that the QDMA is all for it and considers it the leading edge, by their own admission.
So is is managing for a healthy population or simply a facade to grow trophy deer? I don't have a problem with how anyone manages their private land orherd. More power to them. I don't think or want my state enacting QDMA principles and telling me what I can and can't shoot buck wise.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/photogallery/article/0,13355,1632266_0,00.html
Field and Stream ran an aticle this month on the "Oakland Hunting Club" in South Carolina in the new issue. This is an very expensive, exclusive club that manages intensively for the purpose of growing trophy racks from what I can tell.The link to the articleis at the end and , read it and draw your own conclusions.
Basically, they havevery stringent harvest rules, some set by age, but also including cull bucks. If you deviate from the rules you are penalized hunting time during therut. Theyare required to video every buck they see while hunting then theentire camp goes over all the tapes every night. Here is a quote from the exucutive director of the QDMA:
[quoteThese guys are at the leading edge of deer management," says Brian Murphy, executive director of the nonprofit, 50,000-member Quality Deer Management Association. "More and more clubs are intensively managing their deer. What they're doing at Oakland is not unheard of, but it's still rare. The good-news part of this is that these guys have accomplished in South Carolina—not necessarily known as a big-deer state—what was once thought impossible."][/quote]
Seems that the management is set up for trophy deer, the aricle states as much and also that the QDMA is all for it and considers it the leading edge, by their own admission.
So is is managing for a healthy population or simply a facade to grow trophy deer? I don't have a problem with how anyone manages their private land orherd. More power to them. I don't think or want my state enacting QDMA principles and telling me what I can and can't shoot buck wise.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/photogallery/article/0,13355,1632266_0,00.html
06-18-2007, 04:00 PM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 7,208
RE: QDMA or Antler farming?
As simple as terms as I can see it be put into is this
QDM= shooting a deer based on age
TDM=Shooting a deer based on rack size (and age to an extent)
I'm all for letting young bucks go, but I'll not buy into intensive rack management principles.
QDM= shooting a deer based on age
TDM=Shooting a deer based on rack size (and age to an extent)
I'm all for letting young bucks go, but I'll not buy into intensive rack management principles.
06-18-2007, 04:06 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location:
Posts: 1,438
RE: QDMA or Antler farming?
bawanajim, hilarious. I thought you were just a curmudgeon.
Anyway, seconding what rybohunter said, that sounds like Trophy Deer Managment (TDM), which is a different philosophy (often more bucks than does). Takes more time, more money, and a very controlled environment
I don't know what the QDMA's stance is on TDM.
I don't see states adopting TDM philosophies. QDM is hard enough to implement.
Anyway, seconding what rybohunter said, that sounds like Trophy Deer Managment (TDM), which is a different philosophy (often more bucks than does). Takes more time, more money, and a very controlled environment
I don't know what the QDMA's stance is on TDM.
I don't see states adopting TDM philosophies. QDM is hard enough to implement.
06-18-2007, 04:26 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Sturgis, SD
Posts: 1,983
RE: QDMA or Antler farming?
I don't know what the QDMA's stance is on TDM.
I don't know if this is TDM, QDM? Tone of the aticle is that it is trophy management and the QDMA is all for it. If this is truly the stance of QDMA this is not what was presented in the last thread. So is the QDMA a facade for TDM?
06-18-2007, 04:31 PM
#6
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 8,167
RE: QDMA or Antler farming?
ORIGINAL: LebeauHunter
bawanajim, hilarious. I thought you were just a curmudgeon.
bawanajim, hilarious. I thought you were just a curmudgeon.
The Curmudgeon part is true . Thats my good side .[
]Germ got me on the right track last week, heck just this week I got two Doe and a fawn with my truck.
Hows that for herd reduction? And its easer than earn a buck too.
06-18-2007, 07:45 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location:
Posts: 469
RE: QDMA or Antler farming?
The fact is many states do try for anage restriction by using antler restrictions, which is not always accurate. If you take a good antlergenetics animal with a large rack,at age 1.5 he may be a legalshooter. He does not get to procreate very long, and that is bad.
Most hunters cannot tell the age of an animal so the DNR in various states and counties haveplaced anter restrictions on buck harvest. This is done to promote doe harvest, not just bigger racks. QDMA is a groupI could care less about. It makes $. But their beliefs in general I believe are accurate.
-Mississippi has 4 pt restriction Larry Castle
-Arkansas has a buck antler restriction
-Pennsylvania has a restriction Dr Gary Alt
-Georgia Counties have a buck antlerrestriction
just to name a few.
Many places have elk restrictions etc.
These states run about a 75-80% approval by hunters. The only restriction the states can useare antler restrictions,doe only, and number allowed to harvest, methods, etc.
For the life of me I cannot understand if someone wants to meat hunt, which is fine with me, why they will take a yearling buck.Is it just getting to say, "Yes I killeda buck"? Shoot a doe! The truth is even many meat hunters wantto brag about killing a buck. But they will be the first to combat an antler restriction. Why? You are a meat hunter, shoot does.
Check some states restrictions. Their laws do tell you what you can and cannot shoot. We need to remember that restrictions, laws,and guidelines is what brought the deer population back. Nothing wrong with making something good even better. We have plenty of deer in general.
As long as the land can sustain the herd, make it better with restrictions. Typically when an antler restriction is implemented the number of doe harvests goes up andhelps get the herd back in balance.
Scenerio:
If you are a meat hunter and you usually shoot the first thing that walks by, and you abide by the law, a restriction is implemented,the first thing that walks by is a fork horn yearling, you have to wait.Then a doe comes, you shoot the doe. Good practice.
Most laws are good and we need to see for ourselves why they are in place. And some are trial and error. States will try it and see how it works. It is part of it.
This is my opinion.
Most hunters cannot tell the age of an animal so the DNR in various states and counties haveplaced anter restrictions on buck harvest. This is done to promote doe harvest, not just bigger racks. QDMA is a groupI could care less about. It makes $. But their beliefs in general I believe are accurate.
-Mississippi has 4 pt restriction Larry Castle
-Arkansas has a buck antler restriction
-Pennsylvania has a restriction Dr Gary Alt
-Georgia Counties have a buck antlerrestriction
just to name a few.
Many places have elk restrictions etc.
These states run about a 75-80% approval by hunters. The only restriction the states can useare antler restrictions,doe only, and number allowed to harvest, methods, etc.
For the life of me I cannot understand if someone wants to meat hunt, which is fine with me, why they will take a yearling buck.Is it just getting to say, "Yes I killeda buck"? Shoot a doe! The truth is even many meat hunters wantto brag about killing a buck. But they will be the first to combat an antler restriction. Why? You are a meat hunter, shoot does.
Check some states restrictions. Their laws do tell you what you can and cannot shoot. We need to remember that restrictions, laws,and guidelines is what brought the deer population back. Nothing wrong with making something good even better. We have plenty of deer in general.
As long as the land can sustain the herd, make it better with restrictions. Typically when an antler restriction is implemented the number of doe harvests goes up andhelps get the herd back in balance.
Scenerio:
If you are a meat hunter and you usually shoot the first thing that walks by, and you abide by the law, a restriction is implemented,the first thing that walks by is a fork horn yearling, you have to wait.Then a doe comes, you shoot the doe. Good practice.
Most laws are good and we need to see for ourselves why they are in place. And some are trial and error. States will try it and see how it works. It is part of it.
This is my opinion.
06-18-2007, 08:28 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fulton county IL USA
Posts: 4,271
RE: QDMA or Antler farming?
I'm not against ANY form of "management" that stresses some kind of restraint for the brown & downers. Why can't folks simply shoot more Does and pass up some immature bucks? Now, this all out strict trophy management may certainly be for everyone but showing atleast some restraint isn't asking to much, is it?
06-18-2007, 08:32 PM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location:
Posts: 469
RE: QDMA or Antler farming?
I forgot something, sorry.
Private clubs can do what they want. If you don't like it don'tjoin them.
Usually the upper end clubshave paid staff to do much of the work. You may very well be basicallybuying a deer.
I really do not endorse that much either.
Private clubs can do what they want. If you don't like it don'tjoin them.
Usually the upper end clubshave paid staff to do much of the work. You may very well be basicallybuying a deer.
I really do not endorse that much either.
06-18-2007, 08:47 PM
#10
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2007
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 957
RE: QDMA or Antler farming?
I live in SC and have never heard of that club. Oh well.
You said that the were penalized time during the rut. Here in SC that would be hard to do considering we don't have a defined rut. Our deer rut all season long.
You said that the were penalized time during the rut. Here in SC that would be hard to do considering we don't have a defined rut. Our deer rut all season long.