Our Little QDM Program

My family acquired a 220 acre tract in SW Bracken County in September of 2001. When we showed up, it and the surrounding tracts were wide open to hunting. I've since met guys from all over that knew about that land and have hunted it over the years.

In 2001, I chained up the gate and posted signs, and went about chasing everyone out. The next year, my neighbors started doing the same. As a result, my deer herd has probably doubled or tripled. We've also stopped having shots whizzing over our heads on opening day.

We were able to get one small buck in 2001. By 2003, I had a nice 125-class buck at the taxidermist. A 17 pointer was also tagged last year as it left my property.

We tried food plots, but the drought got us the first year and we lost most of the seed. Now, we are just doing edge fethering and strip disking. I also selectively fertilize some of the pastures to encourage the late-season forbs.

I have set a personal goal of trying to get a better buck than last year, or taking doe instead. I've passed on several young bucks, and everyone else has done the same. Overall, by reducing the hunting pressure, we've gotten a lot more deer running to our property to escape the orange hordes on the neighboring ridges. We are starting to see herds of 10-15 during the latter part of the season.

At this point in the game, it seems that getting bucks over that 1.5 year hump is the key. By then, they're savvy enough to give us a run for the money. I would hate to see anyone step in and put an externally mandated limit on points. If my sons get a spike or a four-pointer their first time out, that should be okay.