Quality Deer Mangment, is it for us?

Is QDMA coming to our state? Its a hot button topic that almost every hunter has a stance or opinion on. That's where I differ from mob. This is truly one topic I cant can not fully commit to one side or the other. Each side has compelling arguments. For those of us new to QDMA and its concepts click HERE for its definition. Now remember that information is coming from a PRO QDMA website. It's basically the idea of never shooting any young buck, and harvesting does. The idea is to only kill 4+ year old bucks unless they possess "inferior" genes. Taking this at face value sound like a pretty good thing right? Well yes and no. There is some great advantages to this program. First and foremost of which is big mature deer. Seeing a huge, mature deer is something that can change a person for a lifetime. Its almost a spiritual experience to be in their presence. Lately there has been a recent push to make these practices law for many states. This is where I do take a personal stand. Ya see when your managing your property and you aim for those records books that's wonderful. More power to you. I start taking offense when certain people's thoughts on a subject impact others way of life. This starts to open a very large can of worms. It starts to change the entire mentality of hunting. It starts focusing on "trophy" white tails. Ill tell ya one thing, I don't want to be the man who has to define what that consists of. Does that make a 13 year old kid's first doe harvest any less of a trophy then a 150 class deer. Is that something that we want to teach our children? That the only thing that matters are Records? what about hard work, determination, and ethics. Where do these fall. One of the biggest concerns to our sport (or way of life) is declining numbers. I love to take new people hunting, hell I get more excited for them then I would for myself. Do I want to take them out in the field and tell them they have stay here until they kill a world class deer or nothing at all? I sure don't wanna do that. What about those people who just love the outdoors and spending time in them. When their biggest priority is just filling the freezer to feed their family. Someone who wants something that wasn't handled by hundreds of people on its trip to the table. I wouldn't want to tell a dozen people they had to play by those rules, let alone a entire state. I agree QDMA is great and everyone wants to see them Big Buck Deer but don't enter me in a antler contest I never signed up for.



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A place left for the common man?

Arguably the best deer herd in the world is in Iowa. This can be easily portrayed by our record shattering bucks harvested every year. Ive been graced with the pleasure of growing up in a land that God himself would like to keep secret. I take great pride in my state. My smile could rival that of the Grinch after a successful Christmas raid when I mention Iowa. The greatest advantage to life in the Hawkeye State (public hunting) appears to be under siege. Not in a biological sense of course,(Big Buck Deer Everywhere). More in the sense of practicality for that forgotten group of men and women who hold America upon their shoulders. If your reading this I would wager a substantial amount of money its you. Low to middle class working folks. People who use there only vacation to hunt the Rut. People who's greatest weekend adventure is showing their kids the outdoors, and the role we play in it. The simple things in life, friends, a fire, and a beer is pure satisfaction. Unfortunately this way of life is crumbled by the very people we make rich off our sweat and pain. Land is being mongered by the haves and stricken from the have-nots. "Leased hunting" signs are becoming more and more common to our rural landscapes. Public land sold by the government, and Century Farms striped acre by acre. Leased land owned by out of state hunters who trample through our state one week a year, only to let the land sit and over grow the rest of the time. Where is a place for the working man and his kids, where is place for the true caretakers of this state. Its a sicking thought that on top of the hundreds of dollars we pay to be legal, we need to payout hundreds more to use the land. Ill pay the money with a smile on my face as long as the money goes to sustain OUR land, not to sustain the game bags of the wealthy.