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Thoughts on QDM (Quality Deer Management) in Iowa?????????????

You all have one of the best states if not the best state in the country to hunt mature bucks. Granted not all areas might be like that. QDM could only help Iowa out I don't see how it could hurt it at all.
 
I have about 30 acres of woods connecting to about 60 more agcres of woods. The next 30 acres that touches me is not allowed to be hunted. We also have 30 acres of tall grass and 20 acres of short grass with immature trees. All surrounded by farm land. I am the only hunter. Me taking 2 or 3 does a year gonna make a difference? I know letting bucks grow with but should I spend the extra money for one or two more does?
 
Just depending on what kind of deer population you have, but I would say spend a few more dollars and get a few more doe tags.
 
Has anyone talked about going to a 1 buck rule. We hunt in Indiana and they have an awesome deer herd and it has become that way since they started the 1 buck rule. No matter if you are a land owner or not you can only shoot one buck a year.

The people that we hunt with say that since this started the overall size of the racks on their deer has more than doubled on average.

I think it just gets people being more selective and thinking before they pull the trigger. You can still get does tags to fill the freezer but only one buck per person.

Seems like a good thing that goes along with QDM?

CCK
 
I think that is a great idea. 1 buck a year would allow many bucks to get older. Only letting out of staters shoot does would help too,or just dont let them hunt at all.
 
It's not just NR hunters who pay big money to hunt or lease property, you have enough people with money right here in Iowa that don't feel the need or have the time to put in to kill a big buck. So Guess who will lease your ground W/out NR hunters. I aslo feel educating fellow hunters is the key. Everyone always feels a law will make things right, and when it does'nt work we look for another law to correct it. As sportsmen we need to support and educate each other. Also think back to your first deer, or 02nd,03rd,04th didn't your QDM go up with each deer. I'm Just as proud of my first deer (small eight) as i am of my 150 class 10, but experiance and education through fellow hunters. So i ask that we show respect for the deer we shoot, and take that hunter to the next level, and share that bond that no law could ever create.
 
I agree with much of what is said by all of you. QDM helps the herd as a whole and will no doubt lead to bigger bucks. Trophy management is an entirely different category and I believe the word 'cull' should be left out. One man's junk is another man's treasure...I know I would gladly take a lot of your 'cull' deer, especially if it's regarding a dominant buck. Dominant bucks aren't king of the jungle for no reason...they're often the smartest, usually the strongest, and very hard to harvest. Just a couple thoughts, no harm intended.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: -DannyBoy-</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I agree with much of what is said by all of you. QDM helps the herd as a whole and will no doubt lead to bigger bucks. Trophy management is an entirely different category and I believe the word 'cull' should be left out. One man's junk is another man's treasure...I know I would gladly take a lot of your 'cull' deer, especially if it's regarding a dominant buck. Dominant bucks aren't king of the jungle for no reason...they're often the smartest, usually the strongest, and very hard to harvest. Just a couple thoughts, no harm intended. </div></div>

I agree.
 
I think some visuals/signage might help to promote the QDM initiative in NE Iowa. I am a recent NE Iowa resident/landowner and have not seen any QDM signs yet. I plan on trying some QDM signs on my property to guage reactions and hopefully give the concept more traction.

Trophy quality here is excellent, but could be so much better if we would add a year or two to the age structure. Any thoughts on how to give QDM momentum in NE Iowa would be appreciated.

NE Iowa resident
 
You guys should know that there is now an extremely active chapter of QDMA in Iowa. The Mid-Iowa Chapter of QDMA was established in late Dec. of '07. Our first banquet was a great success and we've since put on a very informational "Plot Day" on an 800 acre ranch near Earlham.

As one of the only chapters in the state we encourage participation from all Iowans. Once we create the large network needed to be successfull we will then branch off into more localized chapters. That is not to say that you can't start your own chapter in NE Iowa however!

For any information at all please feel free to contact me as I am the current President of the Mid-Iowa Chapter. you can do so @ chris-gallo@betterlivingofdesmoines.com.

I welcome any and all questions and interest in our group.
 
Mr Gallo,
Just found out about the QDMA in Iowa in the last issue of the Iowa Sportsman. Signed up for a membership today. I was wondering where the best place to go to find out about upcoming events?
Thanks,
James
 
We have started a QDMA branch in southeastern MN and I think it would be a great thing to share ideas/events/promotional advice with other branches. Perhaps until there's a branch in NE Iowa, hunters from there could participate in our group? Just a thought; I'm wide open to suggestions! I know this much, I agree very strongly with Jeffrey Fern; we need help spreading the word!
 
Also, forgot to mention that QDMA will soon be starting a website just for Midwestern branches. This is one of the fastest-growing areas for QDMA in the nation. I'll post the link and any other info as soon as the site is up and running and/or I know more.

Anyone who wants more info on the Southeastern MN branch of QDMA, please PM me and I'll be happy to share /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
 
The mid-iowa branch that Chris mentioned above will also be starting a website over the next 6-8 months. I sit on the board of the mid-iowa branch and I would agree, it would be nice to have a forum for us to bounce ideas off of. Especially the new chapters, in any state, I would love to share our experience of setting up the first banquet. Huge learning experience.

Those of you looking for information on QDMA, the http://www.qdma.com website is about as informative as it gets and lists all upcoming events on the front page.

The next Mid-Iowa event will take place at the end of Sept, when we will have several youth hunts and one large hunt near Earlham for several people with disabilities and a few youths. We're hoping to get this event as part of the Quality Whitetails show.
 
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Don’t forget to check out the Area Events in the Whitetial Conference. There are a number of QDMA events posted in there.

If you have an event coming up please send me the details, I will post them for you in the “Area Events” if you desire.


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Would you like more information about becoming a PMA or Life Member? &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Details Here!&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt; iowawhitetail.com, Iowa's number one resource for the whitetail deer.
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I only own 30 acres, and have benefitted greatly because everyone around me have the same goals of QDM...so I am someone who has benefitted from selective harvest. I will say though I have one concern with QDM...and that is how much harder it is for people starting into bowhunting to even find a place to hunt. I've been bowhunting for over 25 yrs., and we must all admit if we aren't careful...QDM is another word for letting very few people hunt, and the ones who do to shoot a ton of deer. I personally know 2 landowners who shot over 100 deer on their properties alone last year. And yet, these are now properties where no one can hunt because of QDM, and the properties contain nearly 2500 acres. The next step for QDM will be the state permitting a lot more non-resident hunters (there's too much cash at stake), and then we will come full circle with large amounts of land being leased...and the next generation will either have to be born into money or land. I just talked to a DNR man, and he said outfitters are pushing hard for it, and one man has now leased 25,000 acres in southeast iowa at $7/acre. Yes, I do enjoy the fruit of QDM, but the long-term attitudes that QDM produces will probablly have us wishing for the "good ol days" sometime in the near future...can't we all remember knocking on the farmers door to pheasant hunt, and more often than not, they became our friends...those days are mostly gone...and my guess is...QDM will spell the end of bowhunting for many people.
 
In my opinion you are confusing QDM (quality deer management) with TDM (trophy deer management).

QDM is a simple management scheme based on 3 principles: shooting enough does, improving habitat and food, and allowing some bucks to survive to maturity. QDM can work on private or public land. It is biologically sound and its principles are used by several state agencies.

Leasing (and other forms of privatizing a resource)and outfitting are not necessarily linked to the growth of QDM. For example, I have a neighbor who is a diehard QMD'er. He lets me and several other people hunt as long as we abide by his managment plans. No money chages hands. That's not asking a lot, in my book.

Dealing with the leasing/outfitting issue goes way deeper than the growth of QDMA. Another example? There are darn few great deer in my area, and virtually no outfitting or leasing. Yet private ground is being bought up, simply because people want a place in the country. Some of these properties are not hunted by anyone, even the landowner....

I guess my point is, access issues are a growing problem for a lot of reasons, and (again, my opinion)QDM shouldn't shoulder all the blame.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: iatreehugger</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I only own 30 acres, and have benefitted greatly because everyone around me have the same goals of QDM...so I am someone who has benefitted from selective harvest. I will say though I have one concern with QDM...and that is how much harder it is for people starting into bowhunting to even find a place to hunt. I've been bowhunting for over 25 yrs., and we must all admit if we aren't careful...QDM is another word for letting very few people hunt, and the ones who do to shoot a ton of deer. I personally know 2 landowners who shot over 100 deer on their properties alone last year. And yet, these are now properties where no one can hunt because of QDM, and the properties contain nearly 2500 acres. The next step for QDM will be the state permitting a lot more non-resident hunters (there's too much cash at stake), and then we will come full circle with large amounts of land being leased...and the next generation will either have to be born into money or land. I just talked to a DNR man, and he said outfitters are pushing hard for it, and one man has now leased 25,000 acres in southeast iowa at $7/acre. Yes, I do enjoy the fruit of QDM, but the long-term attitudes that QDM produces will probablly have us wishing for the "good ol days" sometime in the near future...can't we all remember knocking on the farmers door to pheasant hunt, and more often than not, they became our friends...those days are mostly gone...and my guess is...QDM will spell the end of bowhunting for many people. </div></div>


Those were my thoughts exactly...I was trying to explain that to some guys that people who are buying and leasing huge tracts of land are hurting hunting numbers. I told them more power to ya if you can afford that, but I would let some hunters in since it is getting harder and harder to find a place to go.

I do the same on my farm, sure I could say no one but me can hunt and enjoy more success probably. It is about more than just me tho and I enjoy letting friends come hunt and share the memories.

So like you stated selfishness could be a downfall to hunting as hunter numbers drop so does the say that we have.
 
QDM=great idea.In Iowa no chance.Way to many crazies out there during gun seasons blasting everything in sight and breaking laws like crazy.Just not controllable or enforceable either.Sometimes I think IDNR could douoble their operating funds just by being out and enforcing laws and busting the crazies.
 
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