BowHunter46

You know what my first deer was?? A 6 point I shot in archery. it only scored around a 60 if that. That was one of the happiest days of my life and I couldnt have been more proud of that deer. What really pisses me off is the fact that ur puttin me down for taking that deer. Thats the only problem I have with this topic. It really doesnt matter to me what you think of me as a hunter, but I really wouldnt have cared whether my first deer was a small 60"er or a 130" buck.

rybohunter

What is frustrating to us, is that you aren't understanding things very well. NO ONE on here has ever said ANYTHING about a kid or newer hunter shooting only a big buck for thier first one. In fact most will encourage a new guy to take the first legal deer/buck to gain experience.

BUT after you get a few, step back and show some restraint. Think about letting those young bucks get older. Think about letting the herd have a more natural age structure to it. Just think about all the more time you get to spend hunting when you don't shoot the 1st young buck that comes by.

NEW61375

Oh how I always enjoy these threads. Let me jump in here for a secondbecause what is frustrating to the non QDM guys is that QDM does not apply to every hunter and every situation, it is a lot deeper than just letting little bucks go. It is a huge undertaking. And if you don't believe that here are some things to read from the official QDMA website that reinforce that.

Quality Deer Management (QDM) is a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and managers in a common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints. This approach typically involves the protection of young bucks (yearlings and some 2.5 year-olds) combined with an adequate harvest of female deer to maintain a healthy population in balance with existing habitat conditions and landowner desires. This level of deer management involves the production of quality deer (bucks, does, and fawns), quality habitat, quality hunting experiences, and, most importantly, quality hunters.

A successful QDM program requires an increased knowledge of deer biology and active participation in management. This level of involvement extends the role of the hunter from mere consumer to manager. The progression from education to understanding, and finally, to respect; bestows an ethical obligation upon the hunter to practice sound deer management. Consequently, to an increasing number of landowners and hunters, QDM is a desirable alternative to traditional management, which allows the harvest of any legal buck and few, if any, does.

QDM guidelines are formulated according to property-specific objectives, goals, and limitations. Participating hunters enjoy both the tangible and intangible benefits of this approach. Pleasure can be derived from each hunting experience, regardless if a shot is fired. What is important is the chance to harvest a quality buck - an opportunity lacking in many areas under traditional management. When a quality buck is taken on a QDM area, the pride can be shared by all property hunters because it was they who produced it by allowing it to reach the older age classes which are necessary for large bodies and antlers.

Is QDM Right for You?

Quality deer management is not a panacea(a miracle cure all)and many things should be considered before implementing QDM practices on your hunting land. If you answer yes to the following questions, QDM may be right for you. Do you have enough acreage to manage your deer population without being severely affected by hunting pressure on adjacent properties? If not, will your neighbors join you and possibly others in forming a QDM cooperative? · Is the habitat on your hunting property adequate to produce and maintain a healthy deer herd? If not, do you and your hunting companions have the funds, equipment, and commitment to manage and improve the habitat? · Do the deer-hunting regulations in your state allow enough flexibility to manage your herd? Does your state wildlife agency encourage and assist landowners with management and allow adequate doe harvests? · Are you and your hunting companions prepared to commit to a long-term (often five or more years) management program? · Do you and your hunting companions understand the financial, time, and energy commitments and have realistic expectations regarding a QDM program?
When considering QDM, realistic expectations must be stressed. Management goals should be set with the potential of the local herd in mind. As a quality herd becomes established, it is important not to let expectations exceed the capabilities of the herd or habitat. Significant changes to deer herds and deer habitats do not happen overnight and often take several years to become obvious.

Is QDM for all Hunters?
Not necessarily. But a growing number of hunters have progressed to a stage in their hunting that reflects a change in values and a desire for a "different" hunting experience. Involvement in QDM is simply an alternative to traditional deer management. Originally, only large properties (1,000 acres or more) were involved in QDM, but smaller properties are now participating through the formation of QDM cooperatives comprised of several smaller properties with similar objectives.

I think it is important to do some food plots and I believe in the harvesting of lots of does(in my area anyway), and those are the QDM type things that I do to help my herd. I don't have enough acreage or landowner cooperation to fully implement a QDM program, and I believe that most hunters fall into that category. Furthermore I don't have the time or resources to fully implement such a program, and I believe that most fall into that category as well. Additionally my time in the field is limited and although I would love to kill a wallhanger I'm not going to let every deer in the woods pass to do that. Another goal that is often blown over in the QDM argument is the goal of herd balancing, balancing the ratio of bucks to does as well as the ratio of mature to immature deer. Everyone seems to be all about the mature to immature deer (ecspecially in regards to bucks) but little is mentioned about the actual amount of does needing to be killed to help balance buck to doe ratios. If you have a ratio of 5 does to 1 buck and you kill your one mature buck you should kill at least 5 does just to keep the ratio you started withand you should kill more does than that if you want to improve the ratio(or don't shoot any bucks for a few seasons, just harvest does).

This statement says a lot and it is from the above QDM paragraph:

"What is important is the chance to harvest a quality buck - an opportunity lacking in many areas under traditional management. When a quality buck is taken on a QDM area, the pride can be shared by all property hunters because it was they who produced it by allowing it to reach the older age classes which are necessary for large bodies and antlers."


Some of us don't mind not getting a chance to harvest a quality buck or don't have access to the type of area weneed to start a successful QDM program. Even though I know we all would love to kill that"quality buck", to many of us it is not our driving force. I don't have tokill the largest bodied largest antlered buck to enjoymy hunts orto feel successful as a hunter and based on my hunting situation and whata complete QDM programreally means, it is not right for me. So I do what I can and Iam thankful for any and all deer I choose to take. Why can't that be O.K. too?

kingofspring

QDM is about... growing bigger racks, and force feeding trophy hunting to those who otherwise couldn't care less. Everything else is just smoke and mirrors to accomplish these things. They use the word "quality" because it sounds better than trophy. There's nothing inherently wrong with managing your own place as you see fit, but very few can do that without concerning themselves with how Joe Blow 3 counties away does it.

outdoorslover

manage as you see fit and don't put other hunters down---that's the best philosophy

outdoorslover

I don't think anyone careswhat size a first timers buck is. I would have shot almost anything brown my first year butended up gettingmy biggest buck to date. I still had some sense of management my first year, however. I wouldn't shoot aspike or a fawn---that was my line. Now I feel the same way, but I don't think I'd shoot anything smaller than my other buck. After you get through the stage of hunting where you just wanna shoot something, management(so to speak) becomes very satisfying to you. Watching a young buck scamper by, two does fighting, or a momma caring for her fawn is more rewarding than killing the first thing that comes by.

I believe that you just need to get a kid out in the woods and KILL something, then later on in their years, they will become more inclined to management and have a better idea of what hunting really means.

The deer that get away aresometimes the most memorable.

dws178

I'm 19 and I manage and guide on my family's ranch in south Texas. My first deer was a doe and my second was 3 1/2 year old 110" 9 pt, both killed when I was 7 years old. It didn't matter what walked out of the brush when I was that age; as long as it wasn't a cow it was toast.I believe letting first-time hunters kill what they wantis how it should be...it fosters their interest andgets them hooked in our great sport.In the last 5 years, I have almost completely dedicated myself to the betterment of the deer herd; I find seeing progress in the health, age structure, and antler size fulfilling. I canseewith my own eyes the success of the program.In the last 3 years, we have produced 3 deer over 180" and 1 over 190". I realize strict management is not a feasable option for many hunters, butI use this example merely to illustrate a point.If you have the opportunity to improve yourself, your land, or your deer herd, why wouldn't you? And at some point most huntersrealizethathunting involves more than aiming a gun and killing an animal.It's about setting goals and seeing them through, the camaraderie and the peaceful experience inan untainted setting.Sure, some people get lucky and kill big bucks withlittle skill, but the majority of big mature bucks die at the hands of dedicated hunters who work for their harvest.Most hunters alsoview themselves as conservationists, and an inherent quality of conservation is "conserving" the environment as mother nature intended. Killing young deer contradicts this principle; a natural age structure exists.To the meat hunters among us, don't maturedeer and does typically have more meat on their bones than a yearling? And to those who say they don't have maturedeer in their hunting area, young deer must be allowed to grow into mature deer.

NEW61375

I would argue that it doesn't contradict mother nature as mother nature, like some hunters, does not discriminate when it kills. Mother natures system didn't include deforestation, development, and a lack of natural predation. These are things introduced by man and often times it can lead to less area to hunt andunbalanced deer herds. Couple that with the fact that not everyone has a family ranch in South Texas to manage/hunt as many of us onlyhave limited hunting options (ie public land, small parcels, ortemporary leases) we take what we can get when we can get it. Yes bigger deer have more meat, but maybe a meat hunter prefers tender meat, I know I do. It's often easy for a personto thinkthat theirway is best ifthey havenever thought about what it's like to walk in anothers shoesand theydon'tactually realize that everyones situation is different, sometimes drastically. I hunt in an area with some big bucks and I hunt in spots they frequent, but I am there deer hunting. Not trophy hunting, not practicing QDM, just plain old deer hunting. Occasionally I shoot what other people mightconsider a nice buck and sometimes I shoot bucks that other people would not consider a trophy or nice buck. The fact of the matter is I am not concerned with what "other people" think about the deer I take, I don't hunt for their approval or by their standards. My deer that I entered for the contest was not a big buck(rack wise) but he weighed 165 pounds and was about3 yrs old.He was a big, healthy, relatively mature deer for that area and I was thrilled withhim because it was afun blackpowder hunt, it wasone of the only times I got to go with my blackpowder last season, and I had to trail that deer through a terrible mess(pine thicket bordering marsh=wet, thick,and dark) and it took me almost3 hrs to cover the 130yds he traveled after the shot(double lung) and I was proud of the job I did tracking. An all around good hunt. But if a trophy guy looked at that picture he wouldthink why didhe shoot that immature deerbased on the fact that hisrack is not that big(yes that happened on this site). Rack size doesn't always = maturity(especially with does) and yes if I let him go he might be a 200 lb 8 point this yearwhich would be nice but unfortunately itwouldn't matter to me because we got outbid on that piece of property this year, so I am happy with the way it turned out.

IL-Cornfed

In typical fashion, you jumped ahead of yourself and have obviously never took the time to actually read many of the posts. No one has EVER said anything about not allowing a first time hunter to shoot anything he or she wanted to! In fact, in many of the QDM threads you'll find that we strongly encourage Youth hunters to take whatever they want to and to fully enjoy every aspect of the hunt.

The point is not you taking a 6 pointer as your first deer but taking several more in the years following that! What's the pointin that, just to kill something? Does it make you feel macho to kill as many "bucks" as you can? I see no point in it.

However, I will add that just because a Youth hunter is young, doesn't mean that they can't set goals. I have 3 children whom all plan on whitetailhunting. My two sons will be old enough in just another season or two and my 11 year old Daughter will be in her 3rd season this year. She's actually choose to spare the life of several yearling bucks already and seems just as happy to observe them. In fact, she doesn't seem to understand why many others feel the need to shoot at everything they see when we have such a great time watching them just be whitetails?

Her first deer, two year ago


Last seasons buck, the third one to walk by that morning

NEW61375

I believe young hunters and all huntersshould have huntinggoals. Goals that are practical and achieveable basedon their individual hunting situation (available land, seasons, quality of deer, location, etc.)
To assume that you know what is best for another person orthe best way for them to approach their hunting ordeer managementwithout knowing all of their detailsor hunting with them is ridiculous. I hunt in Souteastern VAonmostlysmall piecesmany of which are public, I wouldn't try to tell someone who hunts alarge farm in Illinois how to hunt or managehis area, even though I may have valid opinions on it, he actually hunts/manages it. In my mindthat makes himthe best person to analyze his hunting situation and decide what the goals should be.