Quality deer management coming to Michigan, aiming to improve the herd
 

http://detnews.com/article/20091008/...prove-the-herd

Thursday, October 8, 2009
Dave Spratt / Special to The Detroit News

If you're a Michigan deer hunter, you've most likely heard of Quality Deer Management (QDM) or the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA).

If you haven't, you might want to crawl out from under your rock and get caught up. Because QDM, a sometimes misunderstood practice for shaping deer herds, is about to enter Michigan's official lexicon.

Michigan will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the QDMA. It's not much more than an agreement to agree. But it's an official recognition that our herd is way out of whack, that past deer-management practices need changing, that Michigan game officials want a healthier, smaller and better-balanced deer herd, and that the state is willing to work with QDMA to achieve those things.

"It focuses on the things that we share in common," said John Niewoonder, Michigan's acting Big Game Specialist. "Things like using sound science to manage the appropriate harvest of antlerless deer. It certainly doesn't go down the road of antler-point restrictions or any of that stuff that (QDMA) sometimes are associated with."

To understand what QDM is, it's important to understand what it is not. It is not Monster Buck Management, even though the end result is that bigger bucks walk the landscape. In its simplest form, QDM means shooting plenty of does and not shooting yearling bucks -- so they live to grow older. When properly applied, QDM results in a smaller deer population that has plenty to eat and behaves more naturally. It does have the fawns.

Dominant bucks sire them. They're born at the right time of year.
The guy in the deer blind may see fewer deer overall, but he's also a lot more likely to see the wall-hanger buck of his dreams.
Russ Mason, the chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division, is in Ontonagon today to explain to the Natural Resources Commission -- which sets game policies -- why QDM is right for Michigan.

"Whether it's habitat management, balancing herds with the available habitat, reducing the number of does in a herd to synchronize the rut and promoting other things that are favorable," Mason said. "Yeah, we believe in all those things."

Mason, who has been Michigan's wildlife chief for a little over a year, said he sees the QDMA's role as educating Michigan hunters on the value of QDM so they ultimately join the fold by choice. In other words, don't expect mandatory QDM-based rules any time soon. Mason said states that tried to force-feed QDM to hunters have had little success.

"We could go down the QDM path, and it's entirely possible that we will," he said. "I would prefer it be hunters choosing this path if they want to. Our strongest suit is when we're not regulators. And I'm not sure mandating things is where people want to go."

Quality Deer Management has steadily gained traction among Michigan hunters and landowners over the past few years. The QDMA has a state chapter with 17 different branches across Michigan and hundreds of small QDM co-ops where neighbors pool their land together, set mutually agreeable rules and follow them.

"That definitely is occurring in many places throughout the state, where deer management co-ops are forming," Niewoonder said. "There are many of them. Some are small and some are quite large. It's a grassroots deal where neighbors are talking to neighbors. It definitely is a growing thing at a grass-roots level."

Michigan already has taken some steps toward QDM practices, including allowing more than 20 deer-management units to try various antler-point restrictions on an experimental basis earlier this decade. Leaders of the Leelanau County QDM unit, one of five remaining, are so pleased with the result they want to expand into Benzie and Grand Traverse counties. A moratorium on adding QDM units ended in April 2008, and Mason said some members of the NRC seem amenable to expanding QDM areas.

That's not all. Last year, Michigan started an early antlerless season that began in September 2008 and continued this year, and the antler-restriction option that started for Upper Peninsula deer hunters last year. In the U.P., hunters can choose a single tag for any buck, or two tags for bucks with more antler points. That allows QDM supporters and opponents a chance to hunt deer the way they please.

"It's pretty neat how they have that where you have a one-buck tag or a two-buck tag," said Kip Adams, the QDMA's director of education and outreach for the northern United States. "I think that's a pretty unique way to please both ends of the hunters and to protect the young deer and have a better deer herd."

According to QDMA, Michigan hunters typically rank right at the top of all 50 states for the number of yearling bucks killed. In 2005, the last year for which there are national statistics, Michigan hunters killed the second-highest number of bucks, 63 percent of which were yearlings.

That's the exact practice QDM principles oppose. And more recently, Michigan hunters seem to be hearing the message. Last year, Michigan's antlerless harvest went up 12 percent, at the same time its buck harvest went down 7 percent.

But there's still one very important reality facing Michigan's game managers. The shoot-a-buck, pass-on-a-doe mentality that grew Michigan's deer herd for so many years is deeply ingrained in many Michigan hunters. Mason knows that isn't going away soon, but he figures you might as well start somewhere.

"To use too broad a sociological brush, we spent 120 years telling people they shouldn't shoot does," he said. "Now we tell people, 'Wait a minute. If you see a doe, shoot it, and if it has a fawn, shoot that too.' It's going to be a gradual thing, an erosion of the former truth for the present truth. But I'm pleased to see the doe harvest is going up, if for no other reason than they taste better."

Dave Spratt is a freelance writer and editor of http://www.greatnorthernoutdoors.net. You can reach him at [email protected].

So what is the intent here? I would love a state/DNR mandated QDM program here in MI!

Sounds like the DNR is mearly recognizing the success of QDM and aims to educate more then enforce these pratices. Hopefully it will mean more teaching of these techniques to the masses in order to raise interest and the desire to participate. Every little bit helps. Hopefully we can spread the work on QDM and get more involved, all-be-it on a voluntary level.

Hunters don't need the state or QDMA to get a Quality deer herd. It's real simple, let the little bucks grow to be big bucks and shoot does to maintain a good balance. In Bufflo county WI Farmers and land owners have been doing this for many years and it has paid off. I feel less government is the best way to go about it.

I would beg to differ with the previous post. As the article points out, we here in Michigan have had a mentality of only shooting does as a way to increase our deer herd. And for a long period when our herd was concentrated in the upper half of Michigan, in a way that made sense since the herd was not all that large and many hunters would go an entire season without even seeing a deer.

Today in the southern part of the state the herd is out of control. On my own property, right now during bow season, I am seeing 4 yearling bucks (all have been under my stand at 15 yards) and one 2 1/2 year old 8pt and about 50 does and fawns. I think to anyone, you could say the herd is out of balance. It is unhealthy for the herd as well as the land's carrying capacity and the farmer whose crops are being decimated. Surrounding land owners exercise their legal right to harvest what they choose and right now it is exclusively bucks...any buck. And this scenario is being repeated over and over again across our county. I believe educating hunters about the benefits of a balanced herd is important. It isn't about trophy antlers, it is about a healthy, balanced herd that the land can support.

It will take time to get people to realize the benefits and the only way to start is through education. QDMA has been doing this with some success, but I believe an endorsement and education program from the state will go a long ways to get more people to buy into the concept.

Doesn't matter what QDMA tries to put infect they will never get the hunters in Michigan to change the gun season and as long as we have 750,000 gun hunters hitting the woods for two full weeks during the rut Michigan's hunting will suck. They would have to get the state to change the season to give the gunners there days but do it like Illinois or Iowa where you break it up into 3 day seasons and give the deer a break for a week or two and not just slam them for 2 straight weeks and that will never happen!! Walt

Your season being in the rut does suck, but nobody is making you guys shoot small bucks, and does. Whether it is mandated or not mrmc is right that if you don't shoot small bucks they will grow to bigger bucks. I know I am probably coming across like a smart alec but its pretty hard for a fork horn or spike to get bigger hanging on the meat pole!!!

It's hard to pass up a fork horn when you know all of your neighbors will shoot it. I passed up a 3" spike a couple years ago and heard a shot from the neighbors 10 minutes later. QDMA only works if everyone participates.

That my friend is the attitude that causes low quality deer numbers. If you or other hunters who think this way would think about it, You shoot it and its dead for sure, let it go and it may make it. You will never get every one to agree on this subject so don't even try. :s6:

You're speaking from WI, southern MI is not in the same state. There's not low deer numbers; quite the opposite. Many counties are overrun. I've never seen as many deer in any area as swarm my parents' farm back in MI right now. The problem is lack of big bucks.

You don't pass on a forkhorn because a) you have two buck tags so why should you, and b) there is no better than a 5% chance he will see the New Year. Consequently, there's about a 5% chance you'll see anything bigger than 6 points though you'll pass on 100+ does trying if you hunt enough.

The steps here are easy:
1) Eliminate the second buck tag. People can still shoot whatever buck THEY think is a trophy -- be it a forkhorn or 160-class. But it forces them to be picky. Right now, most people will drop the first legal buck they see before actually waiting and being picky as the 2nd one needs 4+ pts on a side.

2) Earn-a-buck (I hear the blood pressure of all WI hunters rise). You will never change the mentality of a generation of hunters trained not to shoot does. The last time I hunted MI I talked to every hunter on the square mile I was hunting, I was the only one willing to shoot does though some of the others bought doe tags just to keep another hunter from getting it and actually using it!! Force them to shoot a doe.

Combine #1 and #2 above, you get more does being taken and fewer yearling bucks being taken. And you do it without forcing someone else's idea of a trophy on a hunter.

I live in Indiana and the difference is dramatic. Only one buck tag; people are VERY picky about what they shoot and what I do see in the back of trucks is seldom yearlings. In two seasons here I have shot two bucks each bigger than my biggest MI buck. People also have no issues taking does, maybe not opening morning but everyone I know wants to shoot 1-2. And the does are managed on the county level, a proficient hunter with permission in multiple counties can help manage herds all over the state.

I remember the last year I hunted MI, I had been shooting 6-7 does every year by buying permits early but then they limited it to 3 per hunter. They said a few proficient hunters were taking too many permits. Well, isn't that exactly what was needed, people to actually FILL those tags???

I meant to say low (quality) deer numbers. You are right on about changing hunters attitudes about shooting does as long as there are plenty of does. If your hunters won't change their way of thinking, even the QDMA philosofy won't help either. I for one was against EAB because they (DNR) made us kill does when there weren't enough does in our areas.

Good tool, bad application. 100% agree with you. However southern Michigan has horrible over-population in most areas that I have frequented in the past decade. A few years of EAB, reassessed on an annual basis for a decision to discontinue, would be ideal. Also the change to max 1 buck per year. Make people choose the minimum buck they are happy with for the year.

Of course, MI-DNR has been an example of terrible game management as long as I can remember. I have no faith that they will make correct decisions.

Where do they get these educated idiots that run the DNR???

WI has the same problem!!!!

No idea, but I am a biologist in a different specialty and they teach the basics of population ecology in first-year undergraduate courses. Apparently these DNR guys didn't stay awake for that.

Just because you have 2 buck tags doesn't mean you have to fill them! And the attitude of hunters not shooting does can be reversed. We never used to shoot does here in Wisconsin, then our numbers got very high, everybody shot does like they were nuts. Now we are on the oposite end of the spectrum in the fact that "we" shot too many does. There is no easy fix to the problem you guys have in Michigan but hopefully your dnr is a little smarter in the way they do things than ours!!!

Years ago, you could only shoot bucks. You were lucky to see one deer the whole season. What I'm getting at here is hunters are'nt stupid. If the DNR would be honest with sportsmen, things could change. As long as sportsmen don't trust the DNR, they will buck the system. I hated EAB because the DNR lied to us on the deer numbers. Many hunters quit because they would not kill does when there were'nt the does the DNR said there were. I don't know one hunter who trusts what the DNR says anymore. So, how can you lead an agency, when you can't be trusted? I for one will not shoot does, when the deer numbers are so low. Not every area is the same, however there are many that are worse than my area. I read an article today about wolf predation and how they are decimating the deer herd in Bayfield county. The hunters, in the article have been hunting there for many years and have documented the decrease of the deer herd. The past two years they have been hard pressed to see A deer in the WI Gun deer season. With the Wolf and the DNR, our deer herd is in trouble.

Hate to say it, but michigan does need the state or QDMA to get a quality deer herd. With as many hunters as we have in this state how many of us share the same mentality on letting the small bucks go? Its goin to have to be a mandatory thing that everyone has to follow, or a quality deer herd in michigan will never happen... period! Let him go so he can grow!

I think someone should be able to shoot whatever size buck is a trophy to them. But with 2 per hunter and nobody shooting does, no wonder the herd is out of whack. Limit it to one buck per hunter so they have to make it count, and put measures in place to force a greater take of does. I don't know about where you hunt but there are a FRACTION of the hunters there were 15 years ago.

I'm a hardcore doe hunter (average 3-4 per year forever) but I've even noticed the difference in my attitude moving to Indiana where you only get one buck. I don't even THINK about shooting anything less than 8 points. In Michigan I dropped the first legal buck I saw, then hoped I also saw something bigger. Usually I did not. Because everyone in Indiana seems to be following the same standards, we have bigger bucks and I have gotten an 8 and a 9 in my two seasons here.

Hunters don't need the state or QDMA to get a Quality deer herd. It's real simple, let the little bucks grow to be big bucks and shoot does to maintain a good balance. In Bufflo county WI Farmers and land owners have been doing this for many years and it has paid off. I feel less government is the best way to go about it.
__________________
GOD COUNTRY AND FAMILY
A TRUE AMERICAN


Your signature is funny too! God is nothing but a figment of your imagination. Hey whatever helps you sleep at night.

Your first statement shows you to be naive and ignorant. A landowner of 40-80 acres will have zero luck keeping a buck alive long enough to mature if even a few of their neighbors routinely shoot them as spikes/forkhorns, which is exactly what happens. It is only when a plot of land gets significantly larger than the home range of a whitetail buck that you can have success doing this. The mentality in Michigan is prevalently to shoot the small bucks and the regulations encourage it, so all people I know that tried to implement QDM by themselves just watched their neighbors hang the bucks up on their poles.

Your second statement just shows you to be a juvenile and insecure little man. What makes you so nervous about another's faith that you feel the need to call out their sig on a HUNTING forum?

I couldn't agree more. Usually the people that want QDMA are the ones that have lots of land and neighbors who cooperate. We have 120 acres in northern MI and we have tried to start some QDM with letting the spikes go, shooting more does, and planting food plots. We have notices NO difference in mature buck sighting and have noticed a substantial difference in the number of small bucks the neighbors shoot and the number of deer poached near our property. I just found one more buck today lying just off our land with the head cut off. We are near a lot of public hunting ground and does are not allowed to be taken on public land therefore, most hunters will shoot any buck that is legal. It seems that its a battle that can't be won and the only people that would benefit from QDMA up north would be the ones that hunt illegally.