Georgia becoming a QDM state?

[gh1950]

I have watched the emergence of the QDM/trophy buck counties. I had an open mind about those. At a certain level I wanted to see them work.

Despite the fact that several counties have some sort of buck regulation, there isn't a single county that is producing a statistically significant number of bigger antlered deer,

I haven't shot a deer less than 8 points in years, and I hunt a pretty poor piece of land. Some years I don't shoot any bucks. BUT I say that because I've shot my fair share of deer, and I'm content to put one or two in the freezer and wait until next year.

I hope we don't ever have statewide QDM, and I'm convinced that it wouldn't work it we did. For much of my hunting career, we had a one buck limit, and a season that was about 2/3ds what it is now. If was a de facto QDM. The bucks didn't average any bigger then than they do now.

 

[YOTESHOOTER]

Last year on the property we hunt we saw doe/bucks totaling 93, some were from other properties, some were the ones we see all the time, let a bunch walk that were more than legal however we did not see what we were looking for. There are opinions on both sides. Georgia has some of the least expensive hunting/fishing fees. Plus it gives you an opportunity to hunt so many different, and diverse areas of the state and a lot of public lands to hunt also.

For us personally its QDMA, all the way, and for others its not life has a lot of choices not all good, not all bad, however everyone has a choice to make.

Charlie Killmaster, is a great state biologists, we have been privileged to talk to him many times, one thing that some people forget is that our predators have really increased. Hogs, Coyotes, Bobcats, Fox, and several others have and are taking a bigger toll on our DEER Herd, Georgia, is becoming a state many hunters are now coming to, for hunting opportunities.

Last year watched two big guys 6' 5" or better bring in a deer at a local processor, one on one end and the other on the other end carrying a fawn with spots, cold not have even weighed 40 pounds, bragging how big it was, meat eaters yes, however everyone there was not impressed, so when someone says "IF ITS BROWN ITS DOWN", THAT'S THE PICTURE COMES TO OUR MIND. What a waste of resources. It's all about choices, before pulling the trigger. Target practice should be done at the gun range.

Not trying to change anyone's view point, just some points to ponder also...

 

[Georgia Rifleman]

Yes we don't need that in Georgia

 

[gh1950]

Last year watched two big guys 6' 5" or better bring in a deer at a local processor, one on one end and the other on the other end carrying a fawn with spots, cold not have even weighed 40 pounds, bragging how big it was, meat eaters yes, however everyone there was not impressed,

Actually, from a biological/resource management point of view, shooting fawns is more efficient in several aspects and has less impact on the "herd" than shooting mature deer.

Not shooting fawns is more of a cultural issue than a biological one.

 

[Tusker6N]

Thanks all for your opinions...as promised, my next post will be the paper as I can't attach it as a PDF. Remember, this paper is for college and is structured as such.
After the paper has been up for a week, I will come back and tell everyone how I "really feel" about QDM.

 

[Tusker6N]

Gordon Baker
ENGL 111
16 October 2016
Change the Law for One Buck
Quality deer management(QDM) has been a tool for many states and private property owners throughout the United States and is aimed at enhancing the whitetail deer population. Georgia currently has a handful of its 159 counties practicing QDM and the prospects of it becoming statewide law is nowhere in the future. However, there is controversy over QDM laws that will limit what deer can be harvested and when seasons will be open. Private property owners, that have invested time and money in managing the deer herd that resides on their land will be restricted when it comes to culling undesirable genetic traits. Also, Wildlife Biologists have spent uncountable man hours and resources to better understand how to manage the statewide deer herd and provide a better hunting experience for sportsman. Hunting ethics also play a role in how QDM is perceived, as some hunt for meat and others hunt for trophies. Georgia allows ten does and two bucks to be harvested, with one buck having four points on one side. If QDM is passed as a statewide law in Georgia, with a restriction on antlers and buck only days; then the effect would be on only one of twelve deer and QDM would be an effective method of improving the deer population.

Wildlife Enforcement Officers are tasked with protecting the wildlife of our state from illegal activities that kill or injure wildlife and or damage the habitat that the wildlife lives in. Unless whitetail deer are bought and maintained in a high fence area where they cannot move outside of their enclosure, they cannot be considered private property. This brings up the question of who owns the deer on private property? The legal answer is, no one can own the deer as they are free roaming and anyone who harvests them is subject to state laws. Therefore, if landowners want to implement QDM in a means that would produce results, there would have to be a formal agreement or laws emplaced. Procedures for county wide QDM in Georgia was outlined by Ken Grahl and Scott McDonald in the early 1990s. Their article focused on the community making their own decision as stated:
In 1993, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) initiated the first regulated countywide quality deer management program in the United States in Dooly County Georgia. This move resulted from a request by the hunting public and a desire by deer managers to study the applicability of countywide QDM. This program initially began as a three-year pilot study between the WRD and the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forest Resources. (Grahl, McDonald)

They described a five-step procedure that would result in a county wide QDM status and required a 2/3rd ruling vote that composed of both land owners and hunters in the residing county. Wildlife Biologists worked closely with GDNR and landowners to ensure laws were emplaced that suited the deer herd for their county. Wildlife Biologists have studied the deer herd of Georgia for over 50 years in hopes of bettering the quality of deer and improved hunting. They have identified issues that can be resolved by implementing QDM and some factors that most hunters don’t even consider. Availability of adequate food sources and natural predation are the biggest limiters to Georgia’s deer herd. The coastal Georgia region offers little for deer to eat and has resulted in smaller deer despite a statewide restocking effort that was started in 1959. Natural predation has created an imbalance in the buck to doe ratio which resulted in statewide buck only days for the 2015-2016 hunting seasons. Georgia Outdoor News reported the following regarding these changes:
The reason for fewer either-sex days in most Georgia counties is a dramatically reduced fawn-recruitment rate. Predators, primarily non-native coyotes, are killing enough fawns that the number making it to 6 months of age has dropped from more than 1 fawn per doe to less than 0.4 fawn per doe.
Hunters are being asked to kill fewer deer to mitigate the loss of deer to coyotes, and doe days are the best way to reduce deer harvest…there will be does that walk by hunters on buck-only days that won’t get shot. (Daryl Kirby)
Biologists are hoping that with fewer does being harvested the end result will be higher deer numbers in the long run. Genetics play another factor that is being addressed through hunter education. Hunters concerned with bad genetics being bred by inferior deer are told that the stronger bucks will dominate and run off the inferior bucks. This will play a crucial part by letting younger bucks walk and fully mature. The end state will be a balance of bucks to does and inferior genetics being bred out of the herd.

Hunter’s ethics are being targeted and need to be swayed to support QDM for the program to be successful. Bucks must be allowed to mature past 1.5 years and doe harvest has to be limited to grow a healthy population. Sustenance and trophy hunters are the two main types of sportsman in the woods. The phrase, “If its brown, its down,” is commonly used when someone is hunting for meat. The practice of substance hunting is the premise for hunting in the first place. The issue with this from a QDM perspective is the harvesting of immature deer and not allowing the population to grow to its full potential. Often times QDM and trophy hunting is compared and considered one and the same. QDM is based on improving the species as a whole and trophy animals will develop as a result. Trophy hunting is targeting one particular animal of a species that is considered an exceptional specimen. Although trophy hunting has its time and place, Fred Bear summed it up with, “A hunt based only on the trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” (Bear) He was referring to the entire experience of hunting and harvesting quality animals. Recruiting young hunters into the ranks is a passion for a lot of individuals and organizations. Plentiful game and keeping the interest of young minds often hooks them for life and passes on a hunting legacy for generations to enjoy. Teaching our youth to respect wildlife and only harvest mature animals carries more weight than letting them shoot the first deer that steps out.

Controversy over QDM is found everywhere in the United States and parties that support and oppose QDM are constantly arguing their points. Knowledgeable hunters often support QDM if results are notable as a Georgia hunter stated, “I have watched the emergence of the QDM/trophy buck counties. I had an open mind about these. At a certain level I wanted to see them work.” (Unknown) Private land owners are often the first to oppose QDM and believe it will deny them the right to manage their own property. GDNR has outlined how counties become QDM and a 2/3 majority vote is needed. If land owners are concerned about management, they need to be active and ensure they vote. The argument that one set of regulations for the entire state will not work is valid and has already been addressed. Wildlife Biologists have already established that different regulations would have to be implemented for each hunting zone in Georgia. Ethics will always play a huge part in QDM and how it is perceived by the public. Paying for a license and shooting what steps out first seems like the attitude of some or the goal of getting that first time hunter hooked. Regardless of the individual views of all hunters, QDM would level the field and result in more wildlife with possible trophies. Unless the number of deer that can be harvested by each hunter is reduced, the only effect of QDM antler restrictions is on one buck.

Quality Deer management has worked all over the United States and it could work statewide for Georgia. The support of hunters, enforcement by Wildlife Officers, and the education of the true purpose of QDM is vital for the success of the program. Teaching Georgia’s youth the importance of preserving our states wildlife and the benefits of harvesting mature animals will result in quality hunting for generations to come. The real issue is not QDM, it’s the quantity of deer that are allowed to be harvested each year. Changing a law for just one buck would address one issue and not the problem of deer management as a whole.

Works Cited
Quality Deer Management for Georgia Hunters. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 2016. Webpage.
Kirby, Daryl. One State, One Deer Season. Georgia Outdoor News, 2015. Webpage.
Grahl, Ken and McDonald, Scott. Procedures for Countywide QDM in Georgia. Webpage.
Pickharz, Eric. 8 of the Best Hunting Quotes. Webpage.
gh1950. Georgia becoming a QDM State? The Outdoors Trader, 2016. Webpage

 

[Shutter Monkey]

Gordon Baker
ENGL 111
16 October 2016
Change the Law for One Buck
Quality deer management(QDM) has been a tool for many states and private property owners throughout the United States and is aimed at enhancing the whitetail deer population. Georgia currently has a handful of its 159 counties practicing QDM and the prospects of it .....

Well written. I don't agree, but I enjoyed reading it.

 

[MRH]

Well written. I don't agree, but I enjoyed reading it.

Same here. It's well written and thank you for sharing it. I particularly appreciated the Fred Bear reference. It is one of my all time favorite hunting quotes.

 

[MRH]

Clubs, Haha.

Yes. Haha...Clubs are ghey.

 

[WinstonSmith]

I hunt for my freezer not my wall.