With deer season quickly approaching, I've seen tons trash talking going on through social media (is it bad I always get inspired for blogs because some people are just rude?!). What's a lot of it about? QDM, or Quality Deer Management for those not familiar. Want to see people get flustered? Bring up your views on QDM.
Why, you ask? Because hunting popularity is growing at a mind blowing rate, and with more people hunting, you're bound to have disagreements. Whether you bow hunt, or gun hunt, hunt over bait or not, spot and stalk or blind hunt, there's on common denominator: you're there to kill deer. So why is what other people kill such an issue? Because some people hunt horns, some people hunt meat.
To all the horn hunters out there, I applaud you. To pass on a 150" deer because its only 4 years old is something I probably will never be able to do. People like you, educating and expanding knowledge of QDMA is the reason deer management is getting better and better with every season. With that being said, deer management isn't going to work for everyone. Now before you jump on me about being ignorant because I don't let 3 year olds walk, just give me a chance and keep reading.
To all the meat hunters out there, do what you gotta do. You're out there doing everything that trophy hunters are doing but for all the right reasons. You cant eat horns, and I give you mad respect for not giving into the QDMA pressure. But for the love of all things holy, can we let the spikes and button heads walk?!
See, there's a third category here and I feel like it doesn't get enough recognition. Sometimes in the midst of a heated quality vs quantity debate, I see that group of hunters speak up. They normally say something along the lines of "every scenario is different. What works in Ohio may not work here." I'm one of them. That balance between everything dies because I need meat and everything walks because I want a 180 inch deer. Where we hunt in upstate South Carolina is slowly gaining popularity for some big deer, mainly due to QDMA practices. However, deer management doesn't mean your going to kill a monster every year, and here's why I don't necessarily practice QDMA as hard as I should.
I hunt tiny parcels of land surrounded by other hunters. I'm talking twenty acres and less. At one point, our biggest track of land (twenty acres) was being hunted by five gun hunters in one morning. That's four acres per person, and every other hunter in that group is shooting anything that moves. So, while passing on young bucks is a admirable idea, it never means that buck is going to make it to next year.
We go to a church with a decent sized congregation. A good many of that congregation eats mainly deer meat. Also, most of that group isn't able (physically) to go hunt every chance they can. So they ask us, every season, if we could get them a deer or two. As of today, we have to get eight deer for them before we can even meat hunt for ourselves. With our tag numbers changing and doe days going down, that doesn't leave much room for us to be picky.
People who say taking X amount of does is just too many. Well, that may be true for your land, but our land may be different. Its all about animal density. Some places need fifty does taken a year to keep the ratio correct. Some places may only need five.
Everyone's situation is different. I've seen people crying "that's not how you manage deer!" because they're mad that they've only killed a doe. Other people are genuinely concerned about making our deer population better for the future. I'm in between. I always pass spikes and button heads. I try to pass fours and other really young bucks, but if its December and our freezer is empty, I'm not letting pride get in the way of my dinner. My husband is a pure meat hunter, and yeah, he may not kill big deer, but he fills our freezer every single year. So before you bash someone because they didn't let that three year old walk, think of all the different scenarios that person may be in. If you've never even killed a buck and you hunt three times a year, please do not preach to me about deer management. I don't want to hear you say "this is how deer management is supposed to work" when their friend kills a buck (the first buck that's been killed on that land for three years, just sayin'). When our family says "We've killed twelve this year!" remember, that's between four people. Also keep in mind, that over half of that went to families that needed it.
My husband and I have been in many "debates" about quality vs quantity. When we first got together and I really got into hunting, I thought it would be like the outdoor channel. I went three years letting deer walk because I honestly thought I would kill a monster if I did. So I spared lives for three years, and I also went three years without killing or even seeing anything close to a shooter buck. Last year, I followed his ways and decided to focus on meat, and this year I'm most certainly doing the same. Especially with a bow, nothing is off limits (other than spikes and button heads). If you have a problem with that, than feel free to look away, because we're here to eat deer, not horns. I hope everyone has a wonderful season, no matter which you choose to pursue. And I hope that everyone thinks before they type this year too, because no one is the same and that what makes this sport so wonderful. Embrace the difference and share the love of hunting no matter what different views you may have!
