Have a question regarding QDM?  Below are some questions posed by visitors and answered by branch president and QDM expert, Charlie Fiscella.  If your question isn’t listed, feel free to submit a new question using the link below.

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1. Rating: +6

   

   Can a sanctuary be too big ? If a 1000 acre QDM co-op had half it's land in sanctuary would hunters be able to harvest enough does to keep populations from being excessive, and would mature bucks simply stay in the protected 500 acres ?

   The short answer is "NO". Most QDM folks agree that the bigger the better. Having said that, allow me to explain. A wise old biologist and QDM Guru had a statement made to him about sanctuaries from a QDM practitioner..... "I have a 25 acre sanctuary on my 300 acre farm". The Guru's response was this... "What the hell are you doing with the other 275 acres, having picnics?"
   Generally speaking, the smaller your property, the larger your sanctuary should be. If you want to hold and/or attract deer for hunting than you need to condition them to a "Safety zone" or zones. The smaller the property, the more difficult it will be to accomplish this goal. Therefore your sanctuary should comprise a large portion of your property. (In some cases even most of it)
   As far as the 1000 acre co op is concerned, if the sanctuary or sanctuaries are set up properly, not only will they be able to control doe populations they will be able to do it MORE effectively. Setting up hunting stands around these sanctuaries based on wind and sun direction is a good start. Equally as important is making sure you dial in on travel routes to and from food source's and sanctuaries. (Be sure to key in on funnels, benches and pinch points just to name a few) Also, your approach to these hunting stands should not be overlooked. Getting in and out undetected is VERY important to the success of this method. It should be noted that you do not always need one large sanctuary. Several mid size sanctuaries may be a better option than one large one.
   Finally, knowing what we now know today about buck travel "patterns" (Or the lack thereof) suggests that these animal's will adapt to hunter pressure as needed. Several studies have shown that bucks walk right past hunters on stand who never see them. They use minor terrain changes to accomplish this. (Yes even during daylight hours) Thanks to GPS tracking technology we have learned about overlapping buck home ranges and the excessive travel that a buck might make during the rut. (Known as an excursion) The key to hunting these unfenced free range animals is to create an environment that gives them what they seek. Safety (So they think), food diversity/quality habitat/cover and SOME does to breed. (But not too many) You want those big boys on their hooves, looking around your co op for a babe to breed!
   Part of the fun of QDM is the creativity aspect. YOU know your hunting land best. Only YOU can decide where a sanctuary or sanctuaries may fit well. I will leave you with this, always remember that if at first you don't succeed try, try again. Keep the fun in hunting!

2. Rating: +2

   

   When do we do frost seeding? Is it to late now? Will all this rain help or hurt?

   Frost seeding is best when the ground is still primarily frozen but the daytime temperatures are beginning to warm to a level where thawing of the soil is beginning to occur. In this area, this tends to happen around late February/early March. During this time, the night time freezing and day time thawing action in the soil causes it to form "honeycombs" or very small crevices. Light seed, such as clover, will be drawn into these very small crevices. As the structure of the soils begins to normalize, the seed is in the ideal position to germinate as the soil temperature begins to rise.

   Is it to late now? (Today is March 17th 2010) Your probably at the tail end of good frost seeding weather. A good sign to look for regarding when to frost seed in this area is the onset of "sap season". When the maples start producing sap for syrup production, conditions are probably ideal for frost seeding provided you do not have too much snow on the ground. When the sap stops, the ground has warmed and you've probably missed the frost seeding window. The sap, unfortunately, has pretty much stopped.

   The rain could hurt if you have spread seed on top of snow. The rain will actually carry the seed along the top of the snow and you could get uneven distribution. Try to wait until there is as little snow as possible. If you had frost seeded a week prior to the snow storms you should have success. Good luck and remember to prepare your seed bed adequately.