Legislature introducing QDM bill In Northwest Minnesota

By Clyde Stephens

As the inaugural issue of Minnesota QDM goes to press we have many new things to tell you about. None are more exciting than the fact that we are in the initial stages of writing a legislative bill that if passed will introduce a pilot project that will utilize the QDM philosophy to Northwest Minnesota. This all began last summer when Senator Stumpf stopped by the QDM booth at the Roseau County fair. He quickly became interested in QDM. I will never forget him standing there looking at our booth and saying “this would make a good pilot project.” Folks this was music to our ears!

A few weeks later Senator Stumpf was also present at our fall banquet. At this time I extended an invitation for him to hunt at my place for a couple of days in November. I felt it was important for him to see what kind of hunting was attainable in an area after QDM had been in place for awhile. This soon had the attention of Congressman Collin Peterson, who also is an avid hunter. We excitedly invited him to join us. During their first day of hunting at my place everyone in camp saw a mature buck, even though none were taken it was exciting. I had a solid 160 class buck in front of me with a doe that evening, but I had filled my buck tag the day before, so all I had left were doe tags. My hunting buddy “Buzz” got a shot at him but was too excited and missed!

This day was memorable for all of us and even more remarkable it was not opening day but the fourth day of rifle season! The Senator and Congressman left camp that evening with some good memories. The next day my cell phone rang at the cabin twice. It was Senator Stumpf and Congressman Peterson. They had contacted Gene Merriam the DNR Commissioner and told him about QDM. Better yet Gene agreed to travel to my camp in Northwest Minnesota to learn about QDM and enjoy some hunting.

This provided us with the opportunity to talk with Gene on the benefits of QDM in one of my favorite places, deer camp. To say the least we were impressed with all of the attention QDM had provided in such a short time.

The results were the mutual agreement that further consideration regarding a pilot proposal implementing QDM philosophy was needed. A meeting has been scheduled on March 15^th at the Capital to further talk about these issues. Present will be Senator Stumpf and Congressman Peterson, the Minnesota DNR and Minnesota QDM with the possibility of Blufflandwhitetails, a conservation club that deals with deer management issues in zone 3 also being present. The details of the pilot program are still not in final form but are outlined as follows;

Minnesota QDM proposal

1) Buck licenses purchased over the counter, with bucks harvested needing to meet at least one of the qdm restrictions concerning (points or width) as follows.

Width – This is the primary measurement. The bucks rack needs to be wider than the ears, in the alert position to be harvested. This protects virtually all yearling bucks and even some 2 year old bucks. Even a yearling buck with a 10 point rack will be well within the ears. There will be times when the hunter cannot determine the rack width, so a second criteria needs to be available as follows;
Points - Four points or more on one side of the bucks rack. This is not as good as width because in Minnesota we have good genetics and 20 to 25% of yearling bucks will have 4 points on a side. Harvesting these top end yearlings is called high-grading. High-grading can have a long term effect of degrading the herd’s genetics. But we feel it would be impractical to omit a point rule. QDM would be happy to educate the hunters in the pilot area on this as well as other issues.
This system allows a buck to be gauged in the field at any angle and wide racked bucks with few points could be culled.
Bucks taken that don’t meet these standards should result in a small fine and the hunter keeps the deer, or the hunter cannot buy a buck tag the next year. Private parties within their groups should encourage further penalties; initially this could be more effective to prevent (accidents).
This selective buck harvest system allows hunters to have a buck tag every year; therefore no loss of hunting opportunities will occur like areas that have a lottery system.

2) Antlerless licenses should be a separate tag. Also sold over the counter, but not unlimited.

a. The number of tags should be decided individually per doe zone as it is now. This allows us to be very flexible; raising or lowering the number of tags available as needed.

b. These should be cheaper, like the management tags are currently. This provides several benefits; meat hunters won’t have to bother with a buck tag, and will save some money. QDM believes only a small portion of hunters would actually do this and would like to track the results. It will also narrow the gap between number of doe tags sold versus harvested by encouraging hunters to fill doe tags sooner, rather than risk losing your buck tag on a doe.

c. We want to encourage but not mandate taking mature does versus fawns. By taking a mature doe instead of a fawn you do a better job of controlling deer numbers. By harvesting a mature doe this year you will reduce next years herd by 3. Taking a fawn or buck will reduce next years herd by only one. Plus you will have more meat for the freezer than when taking a fawn, and you are not shooting a button buck.

3) One Buck Limit:

Only one buck should be taken per hunter with any choice of weapon. The only exception would be hunters who buy an archery tag for a second buck. We feel everyone should get the opportunity to harvest and tag their own buck. What hunter wants to put their buck tag on someone else’s deer? With party hunting one never knows who will get to shoot. Party hunting is not only dangerous, but mistakes are easily made with the split second decision that you have to make with this style of hunting. Party hunting is a good way to fill your doe tags. The QDM area should be off limits to multi-zone hunters. Allowing multi-zone hunters into a QDM area would cause an inundation of hunters from all over the state. This would have a very negative effect on the outcome of the QDM project. We would rather be flexible and be ready to enlarge the area of the pilot after a couple of years or form additional pilot area’s.

4) Length of season - Length of rifle season throughout the pilot area should be 9 days.

5) Youth clause - A clause for kids to continue shooting any buck for kids 12 through 14 years old. Must turn 14 by opening day of rifle season.

6) An early season youth antlerless hunt - within the 5 County pilot area for kids age 12 through 14. This should be a 2 day hunt starting the 2^nd Saturday in October. Offer a cheap tag, QDM would be happy to educate our young hunters on why it’s important to harvest antlerless deer. This type of hunt would be very successful in terms of reaching harvest goals, hopefully encourage new hunters to join the sport, and would benefit many more kids than the small youth hunts currently in effect. Minnesota QDM would strongly encourage hunting camps to mentor this program if initiated. This is an additional hunt for youth. They will still be able to purchase a regular Bow, Rifle or muzzleloader license.

7) Increased revenue - Consider raising the cost of the buck tag along the way, maybe the 3^rd year to $50.00 as an example that would include a bear tag. Even though money is not our goal, we believe hunters would be more than willing to pay a little more to hunt a QDM area. Maybe offering a combination hunt with a bear tag would enhance the bear harvest. This is very cheap compared to traveling out of State for a quality hunt.

3) This proposal would be implemented in an area involving 5 Counties in Northwest Minnesota that currently allow a 2-buck limit. They are Roseau, Kittson, Marshall, Pennington and Lake Of The Woods Counties. Length of time should be 5 years. Minnesota QDM would be very involved with the hunter education needed to adopt this pilot program smoothly, and would be willing to hold seminars throughout the pilot area to educate hunters and landowners free of charge.

The benefits of this type of pilot proposal are as follows;

1) Greatly increase the number of mature bucks (3 ½) years or older

2) Increase the Doe harvest as needed.

3) The deer herd would have a better balance within itself as well as within the environment. This equals a healthier deer herd in several ways.

4) Offer maximum hunter opportunities

5) Increased safety and hunter satisfaction through education

6) Improve the image of hunters to the non-hunting public

7) Encourage new or young hunters to participate

8) As well as generate some additional income.

The fact that we already have the attention of the Minnesota legislature and DNR tells me a lot about Minnesota QDM. This continues to be a topic that wants to be talked about. Until recently few people in Minnesota really knew what QDM was. Once they find that we are not just trophy hunters and we really do provide a complete package on deer and habitat management that includes more opportunity for our children the opposition just fades away. Remember there are people out there that would like to take our hunting rights away from us. By joining a conservation club like Minnesota QDM you are part an organization that will work hard to ensure the future of hunting.

For more info on QDM, call Clyde Stephens at 218-782-2881

Or www.mnqdm.com

MINNESOTA QDM INC.

Legislature introducing QDM bill In Northwest Minnesota By Clyde Stephens As the inaugural issue of Minnesota QDM goes to press we have many new things to tell you about. None are more exciting than the fact that we are in the initial stages of writing a legislative bill that if passed will introduce a pilot project that will utilize the QDM philosophy to Northwest Minnesota. This all began last summer when Senator Stumpf stopped by the QDM booth at the Roseau County fair. He quickly became interested in QDM. I will never forget him standing there looking at our booth and saying “this would make a good pilot project.” Folks this was music to our ears! A few weeks later Senator Stumpf was also present at our fall banquet. At this time I extended an invitation for him to hunt at my place for a couple of days in November. I felt it was important for him to see what kind of hunting was attainable in an area after QDM had been in place for awhile. This soon had the attention of Congressman Collin Peterson, who also is an avid hunter. We excitedly invited him to join us. During their first day of hunting at my place everyone in camp saw a mature buck, even though none were taken it was exciting. I had a solid 160 class buck in front of me with a doe that evening, but I had filled my buck tag the day before, so all I had left were doe tags. My hunting buddy “Buzz” got a shot at him but was too excited and missed! This day was memorable for all of us and even more remarkable it was not opening day but the fourth day of rifle season! The Senator and Congressman left camp that evening with some good memories. The next day my cell phone rang at the cabin twice. It was Senator Stumpf and Congressman Peterson. They had contacted Gene Merriam the DNR Commissioner and told him about QDM. Better yet Gene agreed to travel to my camp in Northwest Minnesota to learn about QDM and enjoy some hunting. This provided us with the opportunity to talk with Gene on the benefits of QDM in one of my favorite places, deer camp. To say the least we were impressed with all of the attention QDM had provided in such a short time. The results were the mutual agreement that further consideration regarding a pilot proposal implementing QDM philosophy was needed. A meeting has been scheduled on March 15^th at the Capital to further talk about these issues. Present will be Senator Stumpf and Congressman Peterson, the Minnesota DNR and Minnesota QDM with the possibility of Blufflandwhitetails, a conservation club that deals with deer management issues in zone 3 also being present. The details of the pilot program are still not in final form but are outlined as follows; Minnesota QDM proposal 1) Buck licenses purchased over the counter, with bucks harvested needing to meet at least one of the qdm restrictions concerning (points or width) as follows. Width – This is the primary measurement. The bucks rack needs to be wider than the ears, in the alert position to be harvested. This protects virtually all yearling bucks and even some 2 year old bucks. Even a yearling buck with a 10 point rack will be well within the ears. There will be times when the hunter cannot determine the rack width, so a second criteria needs to be available as follows; Points - Four points or more on one side of the bucks rack. This is not as good as width because in Minnesota we have good genetics and 20 to 25% of yearling bucks will have 4 points on a side. Harvesting these top end yearlings is called high-grading. High-grading can have a long term effect of degrading the herd’s genetics. But we feel it would be impractical to omit a point rule. QDM would be happy to educate the hunters in the pilot area on this as well as other issues. This system allows a buck to be gauged in the field at any angle and wide racked bucks with few points could be culled. Bucks taken that don’t meet these standards should result in a small fine and the hunter keeps the deer, or the hunter cannot buy a buck tag the next year. Private parties within their groups should encourage further penalties; initially this could be more effective to prevent (accidents). This selective buck harvest system allows hunters to have a buck tag every year; therefore no loss of hunting opportunities will occur like areas that have a lottery system. 2) Antlerless licenses should be a separate tag. Also sold over the counter, but not unlimited. a. The number of tags should be decided individually per doe zone as it is now. This allows us to be very flexible; raising or lowering the number of tags available as needed. b. These should be cheaper, like the management tags are currently. This provides several benefits; meat hunters won’t have to bother with a buck tag, and will save some money. QDM believes only a small portion of hunters would actually do this and would like to track the results. It will also narrow the gap between number of doe tags sold versus harvested by encouraging hunters to fill doe tags sooner, rather than risk losing your buck tag on a doe. c. We want to encourage but not mandate taking mature does versus fawns. By taking a mature doe instead of a fawn you do a better job of controlling deer numbers. By harvesting a mature doe this year you will reduce next years herd by 3. Taking a fawn or buck will reduce next years herd by only one. Plus you will have more meat for the freezer than when taking a fawn, and you are not shooting a button buck. 3) One Buck Limit: Only one buck should be taken per hunter with any choice of weapon. The only exception would be hunters who buy an archery tag for a second buck. We feel everyone should get the opportunity to harvest and tag their own buck. What hunter wants to put their buck tag on someone else’s deer? With party hunting one never knows who will get to shoot. Party hunting is not only dangerous, but mistakes are easily made with the split second decision that you have to make with this style of hunting. Party hunting is a good way to fill your doe tags. The QDM area should be off limits to multi-zone hunters. Allowing multi-zone hunters into a QDM area would cause an inundation of hunters from all over the state. This would have a very negative effect on the outcome of the QDM project. We would rather be flexible and be ready to enlarge the area of the pilot after a couple of years or form additional pilot area’s. 4) Length of season - Length of rifle season throughout the pilot area should be 9 days. 5) Youth clause - A clause for kids to continue shooting any buck for kids 12 through 14 years old. Must turn 14 by opening day of rifle season. 6) An early season youth antlerless hunt - within the 5 County pilot area for kids age 12 through 14. This should be a 2 day hunt starting the 2^nd Saturday in October. Offer a cheap tag, QDM would be happy to educate our young hunters on why it’s important to harvest antlerless deer. This type of hunt would be very successful in terms of reaching harvest goals, hopefully encourage new hunters to join the sport, and would benefit many more kids than the small youth hunts currently in effect. Minnesota QDM would strongly encourage hunting camps to mentor this program if initiated. This is an additional hunt for youth. They will still be able to purchase a regular Bow, Rifle or muzzleloader license. 7) Increased revenue - Consider raising the cost of the buck tag along the way, maybe the 3^rd year to $50.00 as an example that would include a bear tag. Even though money is not our goal, we believe hunters would be more than willing to pay a little more to hunt a QDM area. Maybe offering a combination hunt with a bear tag would enhance the bear harvest. This is very cheap compared to traveling out of State for a quality hunt. 3) This proposal would be implemented in an area involving 5 Counties in Northwest Minnesota that currently allow a 2-buck limit. They are Roseau, Kittson, Marshall, Pennington and Lake Of The Woods Counties. Length of time should be 5 years. Minnesota QDM would be very involved with the hunter education needed to adopt this pilot program smoothly, and would be willing to hold seminars throughout the pilot area to educate hunters and landowners free of charge. The benefits of this type of pilot proposal are as follows; 1) Greatly increase the number of mature bucks (3 ½) years or older 2) Increase the Doe harvest as needed. 3) The deer herd would have a better balance within itself as well as within the environment. This equals a healthier deer herd in several ways. 4) Offer maximum hunter opportunities 5) Increased safety and hunter satisfaction through education 6) Improve the image of hunters to the non-hunting public 7) Encourage new or young hunters to participate 8) As well as generate some additional income. The fact that we already have the attention of the Minnesota legislature and DNR tells me a lot about Minnesota QDM. This continues to be a topic that wants to be talked about. Until recently few people in Minnesota really knew what QDM was. Once they find that we are not just trophy hunters and we really do provide a complete package on deer and habitat management that includes more opportunity for our children the opposition just fades away. Remember there are people out there that would like to take our hunting rights away from us. By joining a conservation club like Minnesota QDM you are part an organization that will work hard to ensure the future of hunting. For more info on QDM, call Clyde Stephens at 218-782-2881 Or www.mnqdm.com