Another QDM ?

For those that practice QDM…..do you bend the rule for Young (kids)hunters, or first time deer hunters??

We have two youngsters in our group and we are leaving the decision up to them to shot a immature buck. My son has been hunting with us for two years now and has not had the chance at a deer, yet let alone a buck. We’ve seen deer just not had good shots. We are trying to practice QDM with state land to the south of us and private land around us that has the mentality of if it’s brown it’s down. We also are seeing a fare amount of Timber wolfs working our property.
We’ve seen small improvements with our QDM limits just wonder how others view this situation.
Whatsa

For a hunter who has never shot a buck regardless of their age, I give them the green light! I also make it into a huge celebration as if they just shot a booner.

Also for young hunters, it’s extremely important that they get the taste of success so that they will want to hunt again and pass it down to their children.

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For those that practice QDM…..do you bend the rule for Young (kids)hunters, or first time deer hunters??

We have two youngsters in our group and we are leaving the decision up to them to shot a immature buck. My son has been hunting with us for two years now and has not had the chance at a deer, yet let alone a buck. We’ve seen deer just not had good shots. We are trying to practice QDM with state land to the south of us and private land around us that has the mentality of if it’s brown it’s down. We also are seeing a fare amount of Timber wolfs working our property.

We’ve seen small improvements with our QDM limits just wonder how others view this situation.

Whatsa

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I’d say depends on the land and what’s available. Took the fiance hunting last year at our MN deer camp. Knowing what I know about the herd, neighbors, wolves, etc. We tried to harvest a little basket 6 that wandered through but never got a good shot. She ended up taking a nice spike that afternoon.

If we were on the Iowa land. I’d have her not take one of the smaller bucks. Take a doe or a trophy (>130″) buck off that farm.

If you are practicing QDM and have a good herd, you need the does taken anyhow. No reason they can’t harvest a doe. I agree with Brad. We congratulate and celebrate does just like they are wall hangers when someone is successful. .

If it’s important to them to take a buck and you don’t care. I’d say let them hammer one.

Let them take whatever they want. The last thing you want to do is get a youngster frustrated with the sport. Like Brad said make it a huge deal when they do shoot whatever they like. That rush will be what keeps them into the sport.

I would never tell a kid or first time hunter he had to shoot certain bucks, it would be my guess they wouldn’t hunt for long!

Let the kid shoot a little buck. NO NO NO question in my mind. Even if all the neighbors were practing it I would say the same. In your case, it’s a no brainer.

While everyone is entitled to their own opinion there are always other opinions.

There is a guy in our camp that did not harvest a DEER let alone a buck for the first 12 years of his deer hunting career. No matter how hard we tried to get him on one. He’s still at camp and hard core.

I grew up in the late 80’s and early 90’s where herd numbers where down and doe tags were lottery. I went many years not harvesting an animal. I’m still here and hard core.

I do believe kids today have an instant gratification mentality. Perhaps teaching them to hold off and learn patience could be a good thing.

Just curious, was the guy who went 12 years without a deer a 12 year old kid when he started the run of 12 years?

That is correct. His FIRST 12 years of hunting were without successfully harvesting a deer. I think he wanted to quit, however he stuck it out becasue of spite!

I didn’t have the opportunity to harvest a buck until my 10th year of deer hunting. A couple does before that (1 doe/every 2-3 years), sporatically throughout the years. I didn’t have the opportunity to be sucessful every year until recently (8 years ago).

Any first timer gets the green light, cause it is still just a deer!The happyness of a young hunters first kill far out ways my emotion of seeing a little buck down!

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Any first timer gets the green light, cause it is still just a deer!The happyness of a young hunters first kill far out ways my emotion of seeing a little buck down!

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That is correct. His FIRST 12 years of hunting were without successfully harvesting a deer. I think he wanted to quit, however he stuck it out becasue of spite!

I didn’t have the opportunity to harvest a buck until my 10th year of deer hunting. A couple does before that (1 doe/year), sporatically throughout the years. I didn’t have the opportunity to be sucessful every year until recently (8 years ago).

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I think he is BY FAR the exception and not the rule.

If it were me, I would have been a full time duck hunter by age 20.

I like your ideals on the patience thing, but I think in practice it will lose alot more hunters from the sport than it will gain kids with patience. JMO.

When I shot that first 6 pointer at age 14, I couldn’t have been more proud. One of my most memorable hunts was a bigger basket 8 I shot at age 19 on a calm snowy afternoon where I was the only guy I knew of in the woods.

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Any first timer gets the green light, cause it is still just a deer!The happyness of a young hunters first kill far out ways my emotion of seeing a little buck down!

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While agree with todays generation of kids and instant gratification…. I believe any kid that gets up, when I do, to go sit in a tree, is hardly getting instant gratification (as I would define) Interestingly enough, when we bought our 120 Acres, we were implementing QDM practices at a meeting of all owners. 2 Owners have young kids and they wondered how we would do this ??? We came up with the rule, the kids can shoot any deer they want. If they do shoot a buck, then the following year, the buck has to be bigger than the previous. So far it is working (this is the first year ) but one guys son shot a button buck with his bow… next year will have to be at least a spiker

If I have some pictures of what’s in the area I will show them what may be roaming in the area.

Then I tell them if you see something that gets you excited and pumped take it, that’s your buck and your moment to remember.

Jeff

We have the rule that you have to be TRILLED with what you shoot, otherwise don’t pull the trigger. The last thing I ever want to hear from someone is “it’s just a little one”.
A little restraint goes a long way, so if I am hunting with a child and he shoots a spiker and is on cloud nine and super proud of his first buck-to me, that is what matters. We teach restraint and the understanding of allowing deer to reach their potential, shooting a few does along the way-also, under the rule of good management (in other words, we don’t overshoot our does).
For some, gun season in WI has degraded into gluttoney and decay, shooting anything and killing for killings sake. I have heard the phrase too many times of “ah, I’ll just give it to the food pantry”.
Be thrilled with what you shoot and you’ll never have a problem.

once again, my 2 cents.

Jeremy

I think it’s rediculous that the question is even asked. Not slamming you but that’s my opinion.

AND, I think letting them make their own decision is wrong too. By doing that you’re saying that “WE ADULTS” won’t shoot a little buck but you can if you want to. Of course that kid is going to think twice about shooting a smaller buck. Kids’ heart should be jumping out of their chest at every leaf crunch they hear in the woods knowing they are going to shoot the deer that made that noise..

I may go back to being a kid in the woods again, because truthfully, I don’t get excited at leaf cruncing anymore and I blame all of you for that!!! only partly kidding there.

Here is another angle… I live in an area that is mostly Fed and State forest land…only 4-5 hrs from Chicago and Milwaukee. The bucks were badly overshot in the 1950s and 1960s and the old timers were dead against harvesting Does. As much as the biologists tried to encourage more Does harvested to balance the herd, they wouldn’t go for it. Some new and younger hunters started harvesting some does the past 20 years but still the doe /buck ratios were 12 to 1. We still have higher doe/buck ratios than should be for proper herd management.

I am still in the schools every week and talk to a lot of young hunters that simlpy do NOT think its ” right or cool” to shoot a doe. They only want a to shoot a buck or nothing. I can understand their desire to get a buck, and not shoot a doe. Heck,we live in a world where 90% of the T.V. hunting shows would lead them to believe thats all deer hunting is about…shooting big bucks. Around here their chances are slim at best of seeing anything over 120BC points…and those are uncommon.

While I do not begrudge any young/old hunter shooting a young buck…I wish more hunters openly valued harvesting does in areas like mine, where the ratio is way out of whack… I was glad to see Rob Stenger’s recent report with a Doe archery harvest and would cetainly encourage anyone else to do the same. Especially with the bow…a clean kill on a mature doe can be just as tough as a mature buck, and admired as a job well done.

Some states have early Doe harvests for youth hunters, I think that is a great idea!

I would say the first few years the kids should be able to shoot what they want. Even if its fawns. This gives them confidence and a sense of accomplishment. So when they go back to school they can say they shot one. There are many years ahead of them to practice QDM if that’s the rules.

Getting youngsters hooked is the main thing. It also gets them away from the TV and Video games. Which I think are out of control.

I’m torn on this one. I won’t let my kids keep 21-27″ walleyes so should I let them shoot a small buck? I know fish can be “put back” but deer can be seen and the excitement is there even though you don’t shoot.

On the other hand, my first deer was a basket 6 at age 14. I even shot a spike about 5 years ago, my first deer in over 20 years (from not hunting). So should I let my kids start as I did and let them form their own opinions about QDM as they grow up? We don’t have a rule on bucks at camp, its each to their own.

Eric

For sure ok to do. I personally started hunting and had the QDM/shoot a good one already drilled into my head. I did not shoot a buck for many the first 3-4 years of hunting, shot a few doe per year and passed on 5-10 bucks per year all with bow. Having good areas make this all much easier. From the get go, just knowing I could have shot “that on and this one” was almost like the kill anyways. Deep down inside despite not baggin a buck I kept learing and learning and felt I was still better than the neighbor that did shoot that little one I passed up. So this is another side. Teaching the young hunter that watching and passing bucks is just as good as killing one. Maybe shoot the does to get the “kill” experience and the know how to gut, skin, drag, etc? I know all this made me a better hunter.

My son had been listening to my hunting stories growing up and was increadibly excited to actually go on his first deer hunt. There was no way I was going to tell him not to shoot that little six pointer that walked by.

Love QDM principles.

That being said, I vote for letting a kid shoot his first deer, whatever sex or age that deer happens to be!

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For a hunter who has never shot a buck regardless of their age, I give them the green light! I also make it into a huge celebration as if they just shot a booner.

Also for young hunters, it’s extremely important that they get the taste of success so that they will want to hunt again and pass it down to their children.

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x2 exactly there the future of hunting

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For a hunter who has never shot a buck regardless of their age, I give them the green light! I also make it into a huge celebration as if they just shot a booner.

Also for young hunters, it’s extremely important that they get the taste of success so that they will want to hunt again and pass it down to their children.

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If we want our kids to be the future of hunting, then we have to get them excited about the sport. My first deer was a fork horned buck and by my excitement you would’ve thought I shot a 12 pointer. My son is going out this year for his first chance at a buck…and he has the green light to shoot whatever size buck he wants! At this point, ANY deer for him will be a trophy in his and my eyes! That little basket 6 point may not get you excited to shoot him, but to a kid on their first trip out, that thing will be a MONSTER!

Thanks Guys That’s what I figured most of you would say….And that’s the way I feel, they have the green light on what ever passes by.
Whatsa

I have approached the same issue with all 3 of my boys since they became old enough to go deer hunting.I felt they needed to shoot something to stay interested and fortunately it worked out (for all the little bucks they ran across)each has taken does and experienced buck fever.The oldest has had a taste of success with a large buck and constantly preaches qdm to the other two.I was blown away this year when my 15 year old asked to take my video recorder in the woods and actually put the shotgun down and got some great video footage of a doe and a forkhorn messing around in front of his stand when he had the youth either sex tag in his pocket.I think the approach to it all has worked and that short video is probably going to be a trophy enough for him for awile.Might be an idea you can use to promote qdm to any kid.