QDM and Button Buck Harvest |
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By:
Busta'Ribs
Date:05-Nov-15
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Does the harvesting of button bucks in an area of heavy deer population help with QDM?
Is it ever advisable to kill 6 month old bucks in an effort to manage your Whitetail herd?
I've always read that killing button bucks was ill advised, but an authority on the subject has recently introduced information that may be to the contrary so I'm wondering if the theory has shifted.
Any thoughts?
(As a side note, a little off subject, I'm also curious what you guy think of taking hard quartering towards shots from a high/steep angle?)
I love Bowsite!
By:
CAS_HNTR
Date:05-Nov-15
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Depends on herd size I would say......too many deer on a property is not good in general regardless of sex. If you have too many deer I would focus on does and if some buttons get killed. ....no biggy.
If your herd is pretty much in check then the closer you can get to a balanced herd the better......really depends on what you are managing for. Do you want less deer but trophy deer?
What was the reason for the author saying to shoot buttons?
Regarding the shot.......if you can make it, take it......may have to aim just in front of the ham though.....heavy arrows will help too.
By:
Drahthaar
Date:05-Nov-15
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if you shoot button bucks how are you going to have mature bucks ? Hard quartering away shots ,yes I take them, aim for the off had leg. Forrest
By:
Bake
Date:05-Nov-15
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Who's the authority?
My read on QDMA's stance on button buck harvest was that up to 10% buttons being harvested would not hurt overall buck herd health
My impression was that part of that 10% stance was that discouraging button harvest altogether might have an adverse impact on doe harvest, as hunters would be scared to make a mistake, and harvest less does.
By:
huntmaster
Date:05-Nov-15
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Do you have a link to the authorities posted info?
As Bake stated 10% is a general rule. I certainly wouldn't target them no different than not targeting yearlings, but if you are after does, you will end up with a few BB's that are shot as a mistake. Don't fret it, just go shoot a doe if the population needs it.
By:
Jack Harris
Date:05-Nov-15
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By:
Jack Harris
Date:05-Nov-15
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Shoot whatever is legal and makes you happy. I see no logic where shooting tomorrow's trophy just months after he is born will achieve the goals of QDMA. As for hard quartering to shots from high above - I think it's very unethical and I won't back down off that. Quartering away - love it. If you are on the ground and a good shot I think there is a place for the hard quartering-to or frontal shot.
By:
drycreek
Date:05-Nov-15
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Speaking just for myself here. I would not shoot a button on purpose.
And the hard quartering to shot definately needs to be from ground level and damn close.
By:
CAS_HNTR
Date:05-Nov-15
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Sorry about my original response on the shot......I though it said away, not to.......I wouldn't take it.
By:
Drahthaar
Date:05-Nov-15
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yes me too , I don't take frontal shots. Forrest
By:
buckhammer
Date:05-Nov-15
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Why would you ever want to shoot a button buck???
Mistake a button buck for a doe. Never understood that either.
By:
r-man
Date:05-Nov-15
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I would large the large spikes , I would like to see what the young ones sport next year for head gear
By:
Sapcut
Date:05-Nov-15
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OF COURSE NOT! It is never sound management to harvest young bucks....unless your goal is to eliminate the buck population.
By:
Busta'Ribs
Date:05-Nov-15
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Always learn something here.
See attached link to info I mentioned above.
By:
Sapcut
Date:05-Nov-15
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Certainly there are young bucks taken by mistake. Assuming the objective is QDM, accidentally taking a few buck fawns is not a problem as long as you intentionally pass all the young bucks that you know are not 3.5 years old.
If a population is higher than it could be to be very healthy then the only sound management way to decrease the mouths in the herd, is taking female deer. Never young bucks.
There are too many other reasons and ways that bucks decrease themselves naturally. The last thing that needs to happen is for US to intentionally take them before they are ripe for the pickin. That is the short of my opinion as a wildlife biologist and consultant the last 20+ years.
By:
WV Mountaineer
Date:05-Nov-15
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Bucks get themselves into enough trouble throughout life to try and justify killing a young one, if QDM is your goal. I don't care what authority says differently. God Bless
By:
Inshart
Date:05-Nov-15
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So what this is really about is you taking a cheap shot at herdmanager!
By:
Sapcut
Date:05-Nov-15
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I believe herdmanager said he took the button buck by mistake....efforting toward killing a doe. If herdmanager took the young buck intentionally I would suggest what a stupid thing he did, IMO.
By:
WV Mountaineer
Date:06-Nov-15
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FWIW, I posted that first post without looking at the link the OP provided. I shouldn't have done that after returning here and seeing why this thread was ever stated.
To Herdmanager, my response was based on my impression the link was a magazine article. And, was not intended to be a personal reply to your earlier thread.
God Bless men
By:
Castle Oak
Date:06-Nov-15
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One simple way to avoid killing button bucks, especially pre-rut through post-rut, is, don't shoot solitary deer. A solitary deer will almost always be a button or spike buck. Without mama, they lark around the woods like a teenager with a new driver's license and a tank full of gas.
By:
XMan
Date:06-Nov-15
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Ah I see Busta, lets bust someone else's chops....and who is the so called expert here....moving on.
someone here is just being a jerk.
By:
Busta'Ribs
Date:06-Nov-15
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I don't understand the logic in killing 6 month old bucks. Even in areas overpopulated with deer. Kill the does, not the juvenile bucks.
The question I had was in response to the statement HM made that he hunts in an area that is over run with deer, thereby justifying the taking of 6 month old bucks.
Wasn't a cheap shot, just trying to learn more about QDM.
I admit the question on the shot selection was a little bit of a shot at my buddy, HM. Couldn't resist that. But it wasn't cheap. I just can't understand why it's so important to kill an animal that you compromise your shot selection instead of simply waiting for the animal to offer a higher percentage angle, or even waiting for another day.
But maybe that's just me?
By:
Ollie
Date:06-Nov-15
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I never deliberately shoot a button buck. It does not make sense if you want to increase your buck population. That said I have mistakenly shot two buttons the last 14 years that I had mistaken as yearling does and have not lost any sleep over it. I try to wear binocs in my stand and look a deer over really good prior to shooting to ensure I don't make a mistake. This approach has saved me on several occasions near dark when I thought an approaching deer was a doe but instead turned out to be a small spike. Would have hated to punch my buck tag on a small spike.
By:
12yards
Date:06-Nov-15
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Most research shows that button bucks disperse quite a distance away from where they are born. If you don't shoot them, they will likely leave your land anyways unless you own a heck of a lot of land. However, you will be shooting someone else's future bucks. I try not to shoot them, but have mistaken them a couple times for yearling does. In fact I shot one last year by mistake. I was pissed at myself, but got over it quickly, especially when I took my first bite.
By:
btnbuck
Date:06-Nov-15
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Not sure how true it is but I've been told that if the doe gets killed that the buck fawn would not leave the area\disperse to a different area.