Q & A for QDM
by John Sloan

With the increasing interest in Quality Deer Management, (QDM) more hunters are asking more questions and getting more varied answers than ever before. Even the biologist involved in QDM can't agree on the answers. But to me, that is perfectly logical. These biologists work in different geographical areas and with different genetic compositions and with different habitats. I believe their opinions should vary. 

Because I travel the country doing seminars on a form of QDM, I often get asked questions concerning various aspects of QDM. So perhaps a little Q & An is in order. These are the questions I am most often asked. Stop reading whenever you have seen enough. And remember, this is my opinion and many of the answers may not be what you might expect.

Q — What is QDM?
A — QDM - Quality Deer Management - is an attempt or program to increase the number of bucks within a deer herd who have reached or passed three and one-half years of age. It is also composed of efforts to balance the sex ratio and stay well within carrying capacity of the habitat. It may or may not involve some form of habitat manipulation. To progress past that definition is to enter Trophy Deer Management. Trophy Deer Management — TDM — carries QDM several steps further.

Q — Can QDM work everywhere?
A — No. Absolutely not, nor is it for everyone. It can not be done statewide and in some states, there are many areas that any attempt at QDM will fail. It is most effective in smaller areas and on private land when put in place by single, large holding, landowners or by groups of like minded, smaller land owners.

Q — Should state agencies legislate QDM?
A — No. They not only shouldn't, any attempt, other than on selected wildlife management areas, is almost surely doomed to fail. The job or duty of the state agency is to provide an opportunity for the hunter and well being for the wildlife. It is not their duty to decide for any hunter what constitutes a trophy. That is an individual decision. What is wrong with a healthy, two and one-half year old buck with just an average rack? Where do you make the "cut" between a quality deer and a non-quality deer. Isn't that the decision of the hunter? If so, then it should not be legislated.

Q — What is the most effective method of insuring that 1 ½ - 2 ½ year old bucks are not killed?
A — Spread credit. Plain and simple, it is the only method with any validity until a large majority of hunters can learn to age deer on the hoof. If the antlers are less than 16 inches wide, 75 percent of those bucks are less than 3 ½ years old. Antler points mean little or nothing if the goal is to advance the age of the middle strata of the herd to 3 ½ years. Now, once a hunter becomes skilled at aging bucks through physiology and general appearance, then antler points and spread credit both become useful tools. If you wish to be doubly sure, make it eight points and 16 inches.

Q — Should spike bucks be killed because they are inferior.
A — There is a lot of controversy about this issue Most, or at least many Texas biologists believe this to be true. And in Texas, it may be. But I know for a fact that many dandy bucks at age 3 ½, had spikes, their first set of antlers. I can't see how you can tell much of anything about a deer's genetics by looking at his antlers within the first 2 ½ years. Would that not negate all thoughts of nutrition?

Q — How much land is the minimum for an effective QDM project?
A — Let's be honest here. To really see some effect, to be able to see results on the deer you hunt, I believe you have to have at least 5,000 acres that you can totally control . Now if you can your neighbors combined, can total that or more, then you can see results in a 500 acre plot That is providing your neighbor has 4,500 acres and is managing for QDM too.

Q — What do you personally consider a quality deer?
A — That varies depending on where I hunt. Usually, I consider any deer that walks by a quality animal. But if you are really asking what I consider a trophy deer, and I suspect that is the real question, then think about this: I have killed trophy does. I have killed trophy six points. I have passed up bucks in Iowa and Illinois that I would have killed in Tennessee. And I have killed bucks in Iowa and Illinois when I knew there were bigger bucks out there. I killed them because I wanted to. To me, they were trophies. Each year I probably pass up more small to medium bucks, than most hunters see. But I do so because I have the opportunity to hunt again the next day and the next. The real question is this. What do you consider a trophy buck?

A four pointer, to a 15 year old on his or her first hunt, may well be a trophy. It should be. If it isn't, then we are not doing something right. And if it is, then who are we to say it isn't. That "trophy" business is just plain overrated. It is dictated by a small group of hunters, (surveys show that a small percentage of hunters consider themselves trophy hunters.) It is used by the manufacturers of hunting equipment to sell a product and it is perpetuated by outdoor writers...including me. But none of us...not a single one of us, have the right to decide what constitutes a trophy for another hunter.

Here is one last suggestion. If you are considering entering into QDM, here is a tip. Make sure every one who hunts your land is seriously in agreement with your philosophy. If they are not, you are headed for trouble. You must have 100 percent cooperation for any form of QDM to work. And please … please, do not implement an antler point restriction alone. When you do that, what you really do is kill the superior 1 ½ and 2 ½ year old bucks, allowing the inferior bucks to compose your recruitment class. Add a 16 inch spread credit and hold several meetings with your people to judge spreads.

So, that is my opinion of QDM. It may or not agree with your opinion. Bottom line is, you decide what deer is going to get the Rocky Mountain broadhead.

Permission for the use of this column is granted by writer John Sloan and Champion Bow Company.