Whitetail Forum

[Gun]

Hey Moderators, whoever.

How about a special forum devoted to Whitetails only?! Hunting with Trad equipment, scouting, sheds, ideas, etc. I hang out from time to time on other sites devoted to my favorite critter to hunt, but would rather exchange info with people who hunt with the same type of equipment that interests me most. PLEASE!!!!!???
 

[Darren]

I know how you feel. I'm always stuck hunting with wheel hunters. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against other kinds of hunting "Tools" it is just nice hunting with a trad hunters.I have picks but for some reason I can't post them.

Cheers
Darren

[**DONOTDELETE**]

That would be cool having a white tail trad forum. i'm taking my first trad hunt for white tails in the last week of October in Illinois. i'm entering another world completely here, but i'm jazzed about it. I'd love to read some white tail stories while i'm waiting for the trip.

[jimneye]

Good Idea.

[Terry Green]

Guys.......we have a forum for whitetails...THIS ONE!!!

Its not good to segment out too much, as the PowWow will get watered down.....next there will be a plea for a small game forum....and a fish shooting forum....and a hog forum....etc.

I for one would like to see more whitetail chat....Trad Gang is all about Trad Bowhunting....so start your whitetail threads here on the most popular forum!!!

We would have had a whitetail forum started long ago if we thought it would benefit, but we think that whitetails belong on the PowWow.

Hope that makes sense.

[Ian johnson]

I agree with terry

[Ray Hammond]

yep.

[beachbowhunter]

It's a proven recipe for fellowship and community building.

[BobW]

Having seen it happen on other sites, don't get caught up in thinking there should be separate forums.  This is the #1 web site, and the knowlege from its members is better left the way it is rather than some obscure "compartment".

Just my $0.02.

BobW

[brent d.]

alright I have a QDM question.
I am a member of a nice lease and have been hunting here for a few years. We have had some loosely enforced QDM rules (4 pts on each side)for several years and have killed some nice bucks, 15 does approx. per year and have noticed an increase in buck numbers in the last couple of years.
They are wanting to make some new rules...(one cull buck and one trophy buck..) heres the question:
Our rut is right at thanksgiving, and our season now lasts until the middle of january. We noticed that all 5 january does harvested were pregnant. Is there a point where you think taking does as a part of management is anti-productive? What about a cut off date for taking does during the season?
thanks for any help

[Kip]

Why do you want to quit killing does in Jan. just b/c they are pregnant.If you killed the same doe eariler it still would not have raised so what is the diff.Just curious on the reason.Kip

[brent d.]

I dont know, I get to thinking sometimes that the fawn may one day be the next monster buck. I guess it all depends on how you look at management. I am assuming since we havent discussed it as a club that we are trying to 1) achieve a better ratio of bucks/does. and 2) do away with some of the competition for food. I havent been doing it all that long and truthfully since I have had such a hard time taking deer with my longbow I hate passing on just about ANY deer. Any experiences shared would be appreciated as I am just trying to figure out how to put more deer in front of me and up close.  

[geno]

I think it is a great question brent. I think it comes down to two things, Logical and moral. How is the deer population holding up and how do you feel about killing two deer when you can only use one.Only you can answer the question for yourself.
G

[oneshot1]

BrentD... not for nothing but...they have just started that QDM(which has had terrible long term effects every place/every spieces used) here in southern NY in some units, 3 points or more per side(alot of 5 pointers found shot and left in woods). Read a little deeper into the mindset of QDM( ie: taking of the larger/stronger beast)..Yes larger Deer/Elephants for the first 10-20 years, then a huge drop in size and health of the herd due to the "watering down" of the gene pool. On our lease we do hold off on the smaller bucks, more saving them for the younger hunters(and I've found it easyer if there are decent handles to help on the drag out hehehe), we have no rules except fair chase. We dont take as many does as we probably should , but bettween the cars and the coyotes, we dont have any winter-kill here or over-browsing.

[pintail_drake2004]

oneshot I disagree. QDM is a great program that should we used when at all possible. it gives the other deer a chance to grow up to show their full potential. Ya you do take the big bucks, but over a period of several years. You cannot just go in the first season and everyone take the biggest, you have to set guidelines. On the farm my bro and I manage we set a limit of 2 does to every buck harvested, Bucks have to have at least 4pts on one side with at at least a 13" inside spread. Some years that means only a few bucks are taken. We have a limit of bucks to be taken per year as well, based on our professional observation of the heard throughout the year, food plots available, and crop production (both grain, fruit, acorn, etc.)
For a problem of all the big ones being out of the gene pool, shows a HUGE lack of enforcement any guidelines. That is just something where persons involved wanted to claim "we practice QDM on the farm" but fail to enact any forceful control of what the hunters take.
QDM works, and works over the long term, and i have proof to so for it. Close to 7 years on one particular farm we manage, with close to 100 deer taken in that period, has shown an increase in both fawn production, body size, antler growth, and all around heard health.
This is just my professional opinion, backed with both success and data to show for.

[Steve Kendrot]

I'd like to see the reference for the "terrible long term effects" of QDM. The principles are quite sound and are not based on taking the largest/strongest beast. Its about maintaining a healthy balance of bucks to does in a population below carrying capacity and letting the bucks live long enough to become mature. By the time they have reached that size, they have spread their genes. Its the inconsistent application that leaves many feeling like QDM doesn't work. I suspect the most common mistake being not taking enough does.

[BlkDog]

I think the bottom line is if you want bigger bucks, stop shooting the smaller bucks.  QDM or not, it works! Yes it is difficult at first to pass up deer, but it is rewarding and you have to be in it for the long haul.  3, 4, 5, or 6 years without a buck if that is what it takes.  The hardest part of any management program is the true commitment of those involved.  Our philosophy is simple, if you want meat..shoot a doe.  If it's a buck, why shoot something that you are not going to put on the wall?  Let it pass and you might really be surprised at what follows...

[Gun]

Brent- What Kip said.
Here in Alberta we have tried to get the season extended for does but Fish & Wildlife always counters with the pregnant doe thing. I've always said that the same does you take ealier would be pregnant later. They don't get it.
Mind you by the end of our season I'm burned out from hunting hard and trying to stay warm.  

[Minuteman]

Even limited QDM program on smallish plots of land can show good results after 4 or 5 years. Sometimes its frustrating when you realize the yahoo, scofflaw tresspassers(read that dirtbag jerkwads) are takin' the first deer they see but you can only control what you have in your stewardship.
 My brother, uncle and I have been passing young bucks for 4 or five years now and the result is we are seeing more bucks and they are bigger on average than the bucks we were seeing before we started passing up the young-uns.
 Now all I gotta do is keep the Idiot that borders me to the south off my place. Dern fool ripped a gash in the side of a huge buck last year. Giant popcorn rack non typical, it was walking dead away from him and he took the kentucky heartshot at 125 yards with a smoothbore shotgun.I hope he survived the wound...
 QDM works, no doubt.

[pseman]

No doubt QDM works. It's not that complicated of a concept really. You provide more food(natural or supplemental), you allow smaller bucks to age, and you balance the herd by killing a more even ratio of does and bucks.

I think some people get turned off of QDM when they see the TV crowd(hunting shows) taking it to the extreme and then make you feel as though you shouldn't shoot anything less than a 140" deer. I too am turned off by the "trophy QDM" but you don't have to take it to that extreme in order for it to work. Just simply setting a limit on bucks taken will increase the number of larger/mature bucks in only 2-3 years.

I think the above statements about shooting does for meat and not shooting spikes and fork horns will benefit any hunting area. Once you see some of the results of this you may decide to take it to another level. But even if you don't, you will still improve the hunting in your area.

Mark