Originally posted by cottonwood:
As soon as people bought into this ridiculous QDM (Quick Doe Massacre) program, the deer hunting went to notning! You can't have the bucks without the does and you can't have the does without the does. Each year I get as many doe tags as I can and pitch them out to save future deer. As soon as everybody realizes the wholesale doe slaughter must stop, the deer herd will materialize. Ask guys in Pa. who hunt an entire season and do not see spit, what they think of QDM! What a scam!!! Cotton
Amen. I hunt 5 days a week for the entire 6 weeks. 100% state forest and state gamelands. I don't do Saturdays. Prior to the great deer reduction plan as per Gary Alt in 2001, I'd see 10-15 deer a week and be happy with that. In 2004, that went down to 3-4 a week. 2005 was still 3-4 a week. 2006 a bust with 5 deer seen the entire season. 2007 I grew bored and only hunted 3 times in Pa.
So far this year I've found more deer than I have since 2002. That's because last years opening day of rifle season was a washout and foggy and saved alot of deer. Especially the button bucks. That's why I'm seeing so many spikes and Ys running around this year.
But yes, the QDM philosophy stinks on public lands. On private land where landowners can control the number of doe killed, and protect the younger bucks, it works great. But on public lands where there is no control over the doe harvest, it stinks. But, seeings how the doe harvest was exceeded by the buck harvest last year in 2G, I think guys are catching on and laying off the doe.