Pat Lefemine

QDM Guilt? Not here.

 

It didn’t take long for the QDM guys to gut, skin, hang and fry me about our latest ‘Bowsite Food Plot’ feature. If you haven’t read it yet; we shot spike bucks.

I guess I deserved it. When I started this project and brought the progress to all of you, I never fully described why I created a food plot and what my goals were. But all that is incidental – the notion that every bowhunter, or hunter for that matter needs to let "inferior" bucks walk (no matter where you are hunting) is ridiculous. Of course, that is just my opinion.

Now lets talk about where we are hunting and hopefully have a little ‘reality check.’

The plot is located on 30 acres of private land. Privately owned parcels ranging in size from 15 to 200 acres surround it. There are approximately 15 landowners in this area, most have kids and most grew up in this region. When I purchased the land in 1992, I was approached by many of these landowners, intensely curious about my plans for it. They described the culture and politely asked that I hear them out. They explained that they want the local youth to grow up in the same area they did – free from restrictions and locked gates. In essence, nobody posts his or her property. Coming from Connecticut, where you are tarred and feathered for even seeking a permit, this was a culture shock. I agreed, and have never had a bad experience because of it (except for ATV use but that is another Anchor Point Commentary).

The positive side to this is that I am accepted by the community, I meet polite, law-abiding hunters, and we get to hunt their lands as well. I feel good knowing that, in this small community, kids are free to hunt as we did when we were their age. The downside is I have little control over who is on my property and what they are shooting. In my mind, the positive outweighs the negative.

So what does this have to do with QDM? Everything.

I once attended a seminar by Dr. James Kroll, the noted whitetail biologist from Texas. As usual, his seminar was thought provoking and packed with everything a hard-core deer hunter craves. One of the points he drove home was to let the little bucks grow and when you use the excuse that "if I don’t shoot him, someone else will" that YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. I sank in my chair - the proverbial ‘guilty party. ‘

Dr. Kroll was correct, I am part of the problem. But only if you consider shooting small bucks a problem.

Bowhunting means different things to different people. I have hunted, and will hunt, in areas where I would never consider shooting spikes or inferior bucks. Just this past year I hunted mt. goat, mule deer, antelope and cougar. We passed up dozens of immature animals because it was reasonable and customary to do so. I enjoy hunting trophy animals and hunt in areas where there is a possibility of producing them. I also enjoy ‘fun hunts’ where there is no counting points, no spread minimums, and no ‘ground shrinkage’ disappointment when the 22" buck you just shot turns out to be 18."

It is my belief, and wish, that there are areas available for both forms of hunting. In Texas, where Mr. Kroll enjoys massive bucks, I would not dream of shooting inferior bucks. But in Pennsylvania, where the deer has no chance of being passed up during gun season, I will shoot him and enjoy every bit of that experience. Is this wrong?

In November we will be bringing you a live hunt from the Eastern Shore of Maryland with Shore-Bet Outfitters. I have every intention of practicing QDM on that hunt – in fact, the guide would probably shoot me if I shot a forky. But this is an area where QDM can work and does work. In the area where I hunt in Pennsylvania, it is not and never will be a reality. And I don’t feel guilty about that and neither should you.