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Post by Bwoods11 on Feb 20, 2017 9:33:51 GMT -6
Sorry to steal the thread, but this is the harvest pic of the buck. Ticked me off at first, but I have to just be happy for him !  |
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Post by jbird on Feb 20, 2017 11:15:03 GMT -6
This is exactly why groups like QDMA will continue to do OK. Those just starting out far out number those with experience. And then when some of those guys realize the "cool-aide" affect then they wise up. This is where the QDMA has some good points as they are that entry level into habitat work and getting kids involved and the like....the down fall is the "it has to be the "Q" or it's not right" message. I realize they have a business to run, but that business has impacted their mission because it's more about the money now than ever before.
I will always offer my "opinion" but it's just that. I may be right on, I may be way off base. it's an opinion. The biggest thing is getting it thru folks head that it's more than just food plots/feeders and minerals. But most still want the quick and easy fix....that is just the society we live in. I'm not a big fan of FB for habitat type stuff. You need folks that are familiar with your area and I'm sure folks mean well, but many times the answer to a question is far more complicated than what most will put in a FB post. I have no issue showing folks my place or helping folks look at theirs......I'm not a "guru" and never will be, but I will offer an opinion. Habitat work can be as complicated or as KISS as you wish to make it. I just feel the message out there is that you can grow and kill a monster by doing this.....and that simply isn't true. It takes far more property than most individuals own and far more resources than most can muster. Can it make a difference? Yes - I am very convinced of that.....however it's not going to grow B&C deer on 20 acres with a food plot and a mineral lick!!!! Many see the deer on these "managed" properties on TV and they have no idea what the scope and scale of that really is and how far out of reach that is for 99% of hunters and habitat guys.
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Post by sd51555 on Feb 20, 2017 11:45:36 GMT -6
A lesson I wish I'd had gotten long ago was, "Don't fight your conditions."
What I'm talking about is trying to growth things that don't belong there, like mismatching zones, or site conditions. I'd love to have persimmons and chestnuts among all sorts of other southern things, but the fact is, growing time is a little shorter and the list of trees and shrubs that grow by me is short as well. Striving to be the finest in my area with the tools I have is a very site/zone specific deal. I'm working through the very real possibility that I may not be able to start spring plots until mid-June on my property due to it being low and seasonally wetter than your average plot.
Lists of best browse and best plot species don't mean much to me if I can't grow them in my soils. Lots of that Q mumbo jumbo has no merit north of I-90 as far as I'm concerned.
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Post by jbird on Feb 20, 2017 13:18:34 GMT -6
I wish I would have started with a real plan - with a focus on stand access as a priority. Instead I put plots where I could and THEN figured out how to use them.....not really a productive method. This is one of the big mistakes I see many "rookies" make. Like SD also stated working WITH mother nature is often not talked about much. That can be your soil conditions, weather patterns or even habitat types and conditions. We tend to try to force the issue too much at times. Yes we can use the Rockies to fill the grand canyon.....but is that really how we want to spend our resources?
Something that still kills me is how folks think there is only one way to do this stuff! They think you have to do it the way Steve does it or Jeff or whoever.....that's a bunch of crap. If habitat work has shown me anything - it has shown me that there are more than one way to do almost anything AND you have to do what works for YOU!
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