QDM

[HD]

I wanted to let you see what management can do.

Take into consideration that this buck, is my daughters first buck ever.
I let her "choose" the buck she wanted to shoot.
This deer dressed out at 187, and scored in the 130's
Not a humongous deer, but a trophy in her eyes, and that's all that counts in my book.

Like I said before, QDM is a managment style, that you can alter to fit your needs.
(at least I do)
Whether you practice or not, the results speak for themselves.


Hunter

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[Cody Gruchow]

that there is a purty deer

[HD]

So? .........How's everybody doing?

Got all of your food plots in tip top shape?

Seen any monsters on the trail cams yet?

Done any scouting?


I'm do'in great with my stuff...........all the beans, corn are doing great!
I got 1 field I'm getting ready to plant with clover............
I have seen quite a few deer on the cams, but the bucks have been on the smaller side yet.
(haven't caught any giants on film yet)
My alfalfa and clover field, has 5 to 10 does in it, just about every night.
AND.....We have been seeing more turkeys than ever!
So, things are look'in up!

Hunter

[repoman]

stop it hunter , your driving me crazy ....argggggggggggg

[Cody Gruchow]

my plots are doing great, except my section of corn, it just doesnt seem to be getting any bigger no matter what i do pointers?

have had a few decent bucks on the cam one i think i have seen before and he is looking to be big when he is older, other than that, non of the named bucks have shown themselves. especially the big boy, im scouting harder than ever, he seems to of picked up and moved somewhere else on the property, i know he is still there because my grandpa just seen him last week.

[HD]

Can't help it Repo........Man, I got the bug !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Cody, some came up?
If it came up and it's green but shriveled, just means it needs water.
If it came up and it has yellow leaves, means it needs some fertilizer.
Or if it's stunted.....maybe to many weeds?


Need more info man!


Hunter

[Cody Gruchow]

there green but its like there stunted, there are some weeds in there, but i pull those whenever i can, but i can only get to that plot maybe 2 times a month, its a long drive. ive tryed watering them and adding fertilizer, but nothing seems to be working

[HD]

Is the corn in a protected area, with very little sun?

Corn grows best when it gets plenty of sun, and is on a soil that drains well (no standing water)

And if it's crowded with weeds it will stunt.





Hunter

[deadeye]

We are getting really late this year.  The very wet spring kept pretty much kept us from planting.  We did spray roundup but now it needs another shot.  I guess we are now looking at fall planting.  We may have to rely on natural grass this year.   
Here are a couple pictures I took last Sunday.  Once the hay is cut, a nice crop of clover usually comes in for the fall.

[HD]

He is a couple of my plots......

The 1st pic is the hay field that has been cut, and now the clover is coming in good.
2nd is the beans we drilled into last years corn that we left standing over the winter then chopped in the spring.
And the last pic is of my water supply.............And, Yep......it has fish in it!


Hunter


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[deadeye]

Hunterdown,
It looks fantastic.  I can almost see mysefl sitting on the dock.

[Cody Gruchow]

well they do get sunshine for the most part of the day, never been a real big problem before this year. it has been a little more wet out there than usual though, i guess that could be it

[HD]

Thanks DE,

The boy wants to put a 8X8 section on the end and put some park benches on the end for fish'in, then some brackets for a blind when it duck hunting season.   

It's great when you can get kids involved.........they think of things that you may never dream of!


Yea, Cody....if she's too wet, that will put a hamper on things!
We put a corn plot in at a buddy's house that was never wet before, until this year.....and it's running a little behind the rest of the plots.


Hunter

[Cody Gruchow]

well i noticed when i was driving to the fun shoot most of there corn around there is chest tall and taller. may have to abandon that plot and plant something else there from now on.

[HD]

Maybe you should try some oats or clover.

Clover does well in wet areas.
Or if ya go with oats, it will grow fast.

It's not to late to plant...................


Hunter

[NDGUY]

 :newhere:I have food plots both warm season and cold season and have mineral areas, leave a part of our property as a refuge a 100 acre cat tail slough, we harvest does and only shoot bucks we'll put on the wall. 11 years ago the guys were happy to shoot a120 4x4 and in the last 8 years we've taken 9 bucks between 130-155 about our limit cause or gene pool is mostly 4x4 or 8 pointers and ageing them it takes us 5 years or more. p.s. we only hunt archery

[HD]

Selective harvest is a good way to maintain your deer quality.

Thanks for the post ND!

What type of mineral areas do you have?

That's a part of this post we haven't touched on yet.............


Hunter

[NDGUY]

I think over the years i've tryed them all Antler King seems to be my choice, out here the soil has so much minerals that they don't target it like other places, when I lived in MN the deer would tear up the ground big time to get it, but here so so

[HD]

Yea, that Antler King does work pretty well, I have used it in the past.

I have a small pit that the deer have dug out from years of use. I usually put a bag of rock salt in there and a couple mineral blocks that you can get at any Co-Op.
But like you said, if the mineral content in the soil is already high, they may not use it as much.

Does anybody else have mineral sites on their properties?

Has anybody ever used the product "Block Topper" ?
I would like to hear some feed back, other that my own experience.

Hunter

[Cody Gruchow]

just a salt lick every other year thats left over from the cattle

[NDGUY]

I saw a huge natural mineral lick while elk hunting in montana years ago, it was 5-6 high and 20ft long on the face of a wash they had it full of holes were thier noses could fit in and it looked like a cattle yard. I did try a block topper with no luck, never have liked blocks anyway the deer can't lick it enough to matter they tend to paw the ground more for it, good concept on the toppers deer tend to like salty/sweet stuff. As you might know we can bait out here in ND I dont want to turn this into a bait debait issue but did some playing around in the past with sweet feed (horse feed) corn/ oats with dryed molassas on it, same with poured molassas, same with sugar, same with antler kings feed addative ( can't remmember the name) and same with salts of diff. types. They loved the pour molassas the best and did eat all the test baits over time with the antler king being 2nd salts were all last this was about 4 years ago so been wanting to try poured molassas over mineral but just haven't done it yet. oh yah all the baits were about 6ft apart and all at the same time

[HD]

Sounds like a well thought out test.
I have been envolved in testing several products over the years. I have friends in the biz that give me products to test, and then I write reports on them.
So, your feedback is very well appreciated!
It's nice to hear reports from other states. Minnesota, (At least around areas I've tried products) does not seem to have that many natural mineral areas that deer use.

I tried the block topper stuff..they licked the block clean and did nibble on the block.
They acually dug under the mineral block to eat the dirt under and along side of it.
I also tried it on a rotting stump and they nawed it to the ground.
So, you are correct in saying they seem to like the molassas, or they prefer it over minerals.
And like you said, they will work on the minerals after the fact the feed is gone.

And, it's just another way of getting deer to return to a site other than a food pile.

Good post!

Hunter

[deadeye]

We have around seven establishe mineral licks.   I put a salt block and a mineral block or bag of minerals at most sites.  Over time the amimals creat a hole or wallow of sorts.  I have some blocks placed on tree stumps.  I takes years but they do eventually eat away the stump.  Hunterdown, I don't have any friends in the buz so if your friends want to spread the expierments around a little........   
I checked on Saturday a few mineral sites and they have been pounded pretty good.  It is usually best to get the minerals out early in spring because they use it early spring through summer and then pretty much abandon the sites in fall and winter.   As far as I know no one in our party has ever shot a deer going to or at one of the mineral sites. 

[HD]

Yea, I checked my pit yesterday and it's been hit pretty good too.
Lots of tracks, I pulled the camera and it didn't even have one buck with decent antlers on it.
Lots of does and fawns...still with spots.
I have been getting decent bucks on the clover field cam, but no real monsters.

Ya never know DE, I just might send ya a promo to try.............

I haven't seen them hit the mineral pit in the winter either.
I usually move the camera's off of the site around July-August, because the activity drops off unless I have some grain or molassas product in the same area.

[HD]

Well, today is the day I plant the last food plot on my property.
I have several varities of clover that I'll be putting in.
I was thinking of doing a photo log of it's progression.........

Is anybody else planting?
This is the month to gett'er done!


Hunter

[Cody Gruchow]

thinking of tearing up that corn and throwing clover down

[bowhunter73]

Now I would like to know..........How many of you are accually members of QDM?

.
Hunter

Yes, I am a member, but I have never gone to a meeting or get together. I will say that if somebody really wants to learn about deer management it would be a good idea to look into a one-year membership just to get some info along with what I would say is a great magazine.

 I go to the sportsmen shows, the deer classic, watch the hunting shows, along with spending all of my free time in the fall woods. However, to me the info they give on estimating a deer’s age, antler size, health of the heard, and food plot info is the best out there. Not that others do not give good info they do. But

 OK here is the analogy if you want to fix your car would you read car and driver or a Chilton (spell??)  on your car.

 All and all it’s about enjoying yourself and, if you are then you are winning the game !

 I just choose to grow my QB before I pass him my arrow.
 
 I don’t have the best QDM  plan yet but its fun trying

[HD]

bowhunter73.....I liked your post....but, I REALLY liked the last 3 lines, that says it all!



Here is my last plot.....so far a dirt lot, all seeded with clover, lime and fertilizer.
We'll see what happens.............

Hunter

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[HD]

Tuesdays heavy rain might have put a damper on the clover plot.
We recieved 2.5" of rain in about and hours time.
The field has deep trenches where the water ran.   
A lot of the seed was washed down stream.
I will just have to wait and see what happens, because it already started to germinate.
And you ain't supose to walk on it for atleast a month after planting.   

Hunter

[HD]

Clover field might need to be re-seeded...............but, I caught a small 8 on camera that looks promising...........



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