Skeeter..good post. I' m also glad alot of folks go for " mature" deer as well. I think the QDM mentality is becoming more and more prevalent.

I do envy you guys that have the places that produce the monsters! I' m hoping someday that I may get to hunt an area that has 150-180 class animals around. I know they definitley aren' t easy by any means, but it would be nice to know that you have the opportunity because they are there. Where I hunt, I' m sure there is the slim chance that one could get that big, as big ones seem to pop up anywhere. Like I said, my goal is mature bucks....and I forgot to mention...DOES...DOES...DOES! You gotta shoot the does if you want QDM to be successful as a whole. We shoot a ton of does each season.
I guess it' s a trade off for you guys....only getting one tag...and living in an area that has some monsters! Personally I kill at least 3-5 does a year, so I' m not sure how I would handle only having one tag. I hunt in 2 states, and have alot of tags between the 2. I do know that if it was a choice of a doe and an immature buck, for my only deer....I' d take the doe no question. I' ve had many seasons when I haven' t filled my buck tag, although I could have easily numerous times. It really comes down to personal goals I guess. If it means something to you to harvest an immature buck, then go for it...it' s your choice.

Brandon...just to let you know...in the areas I hunt, all the neighbors shoot anything that walks, so I understand what you are saying. However, they can' t and never have killed them all....some will make it no matter what. If you shoot the small buck based on that mentality..." if I don' t shoot him someone else will" , IMO you' ll have a hard time ever killing a big one. I also know a few folks that hunt heavily pressured public ground, and mangage to harvest mature bucks every season, despite the pressure and the " brown it' s down" syndrome that seems to haunt most public ground.

Skeeter - I am guessing the limited tags available in Saskatewan are due to the rough winters? The weather is taking care of your doe harvest for you? In that situation, you may already have a very good buck:doe ratio without managing the property that way in particular. That weather stituation would definately affect the management strategy of a QDM program.

Down here in Wisconsin, we have a different situation. We have been managing our herd for maximum numbers for so long, many hunters refuse to shoot does and the doe population is getting out of hand in some areas. Some hunters were brought up thinking that it was wrong to shoot a doe. That attitude is changing now and doe tags are beoming more readily available. In order to keep our doe herd in check, hunters need to actively stay on top of their doe harvest.

One of the biggest gripes people have against QDM down here is with the landowners who are building the deer herd beyond carrying capacity in hopes of producing more bucks. Some of these landowners selectively harvest bucks and try to call it QDM. Non-QDM hunters negatively view this management style and frankly, so do true QDM hunters. It does a great disservice to the true QDM hunters who are doing everything they can to improve the deer herd.

Our doe permits were very limited at one time. It used to be that you had to apply for what was called a " party permit" to shoot a doe. A " party permit" was basically one doe tag given to several hunters and only one of them could fill it. As the herd grew in size, things changed. Wisconsin went to individual antlerless tags. Then they went to " Earn a Buck" seasons which forces the hunter to harvest one doe before they can harvest a buck. Now we have what are called " T zones," which are mangagment zones where hunters can be given several doe tags to use when they please. Some zones also sell bonus doe tags over the counter to increase the doe harvest.

Another issue we have in Wisconsin is that most of the land is broken up into small chucks of private land. In order to have a large area under a QDM program, you need to get several land owners to buy into the same management strategy you are using. Of course, every landowner may not always agree on what should be done with the deer herd and some may not want to participate in a QDM program at all. What ends up happening is compromises are made that will encourage as much participation as possible, and still allow improvements to be made to the herd.

Our minimum standard for bucks may increase as our QDM program progresses. We have seen some success over the last few years and some participants have already raised their personal standards to a higher level.

Skeeter i am still breathing.

I am working on another penthouse. my old lady is ready for me to finish it and get it in the woods.
she doesnt know it but i am planning one more this year if i can.
how is saskatchewan? i' ll bet it isnt as hot there as here!

man it' s time to get back to deer hunting , my deer burger is very low!
i think i have 5 packs left!
i am going to practice QDM all right on the first day i can. a doe is needed for my freezer!

Be proud of the deer you shoot no matter what he might score. i say don' t shoot him if you wouldnt be proud to show his head gear to anybody.
last year in arkansas i could put does in my freezer and have my meat. now they changed our laws and we can only take one doe and two bucks. whew gonna make it tough!
i hunt for fun and i like the savings i get by eating my deer.

The deer are so overpopulated where I hunt that during bow seasonany doe is down unless it is very young, bucks it depends upon which parcel of property I am hunting, there is a monsterous 6 point (no brow tines) his rack is very heavy, wide and tall that I have only had one chance at and he never gave me the angle, smart old deer, according to the guy who owns the land the buck is about 7 years old at least. When I hunt this area he is the only deer I would shoot, I have let a lot of lesser deer walk there.

Well as much as I' d like to say I' d hold out for a 18" spread 8 pt, realistically if a buck with anything over a foot spread walks by there' s a good chance he' s going to get it. But that will also depend on what I see scouting this summer. If there are a lot of nice bucks, I might be more inclined to wait.

I shoot spikes because I have heard they can have bad genes for growing good racks ( heck, smaller deer are more tender anyways!) But a good mature shooter for me would be at least 3 1/2 year old buck.