QDMA Weekend
- Thread starter WeedyJ
- Start date
Bill
Administrator
I love going to courses. I do CE for my work, motorcycle, woodworking, martial arts seminars(in the old days!), etc. I can honestly say that I have never left one without at least one piece of very useful advice. It's fun to spend time with a group of strangers who share a common interest as well. Problem is that I can also learn TOO much that I need to do and get overwhelmed! Hell, even if I get better at sharpening my chainsaw I'll be happy.
I know QDMA is an international organization, based on membership, but their headquarters are in Bogart, Georgia. That's 8 miles from my hometown, 60 miles from my current house, and 30 miles from my property. A lot of the work they have done is directly in my area, so I may get the benefit of local experience re: plots, etc.
I've done the Level 1 Stewardship course online, which is what got me started doing so much work. Have a couple of their books on food plots and early succession fields. Food plot experience is watching my plots get eaten before they grow or suffer from drought :-). Little by little, things seem to be getting better. I have to keep reminding myself where I was last year at this time.
j-bird
Moderator
Many folks here had a taste of the Q cool-aide at one point or another. They got me started into this habitat stuff as well....I met a lot of good people I am still in touch with today...unfortunately...things change. I still think habitat is the key to better deer hunting....I just don't need fancy bags and celebrity endorsements to get there. I hope you enjoy yourself!
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Many of us who had been at this for years started on the QDMA forum and we owe them a thank you for that.
Squabbles develop in all places and the QDMA forum was shut down and we migrated other places.
In my view, it got to the point where many forum members knew more about habitat than The QDMA leadership.
Sites like this provide a wealth of information. You just have to sort through what fits your climate, soils,hunting pressure, and other similar conditions.
Being close to QDMA headquarters, you should learn a lot.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Squabbles develop in all places and the QDMA forum was shut down and we migrated other places.
In my view, it got to the point where many forum members knew more about habitat than The QDMA leadership.
Sites like this provide a wealth of information. You just have to sort through what fits your climate, soils,hunting pressure, and other similar conditions.
Being close to QDMA headquarters, you should learn a lot.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
j-bird
Moderator
Bur touches on something that is often overlooked...both in print or on TV or on forums. Your specific situation is unique....everyone's is. Deer density, climate, soil types, land use practices and all those things make EVERY situation different. Many times advice is well intended but tends to be general because what works for one person may or may not work for another....especially if those conditions I mentioned are very different. Thus why many folks list their location. What works in the Northern states is very different than in the deep South....what works in heavy ag country is very different than heavy timber country. You have to be able to pick thru all the information and be observant and aware of your situation and pick the details out that you can use/try to apply. That is where I think a forum can shine as you can be in contact with folks in more similar situations vs some "guru" that is speaking to a more widespread audience. AND your dealing with folks who actually do the work. SOMETIMES...you need annual plots, perennial plots, cover, water, hinge cutting, TSI, timber harvest, fruit trees, pine planting, hardwood planting, shoot more does, shoot less does, better access....and you can certainly get into the weeds so to speak in any one of those topics as well. The best tool we have at our disposal is between our ears! Independent thought is a powerful thing!
dogghr
5 year old buck +
I've really tried to keep my mouth shut this time but....All I know is whatever was the hot topic on the old forum was what was written and plagiarized in the following qdm... mag. In addition , they are the one that started the forum on there and it wasn't squabbles that shut it down but the realization by many that management could be done for less dollars than was being promoted by some advertisers. And deer herd management was much different in each part of the country as opposed to the constant sermon of shoot more doe and let all bucks walk. They never asked for much input from its members but were always on time with their money request.
And finally it was their decision to shut down the forum with hardly any notice and allowing very little if any time for anyone to capture some of the valuable info that had been shared for years that superseded the knowledge of most of the so called experts with qdm... So personally they can just go .... themselves, and that is my mild response.
And finally it was their decision to shut down the forum with hardly any notice and allowing very little if any time for anyone to capture some of the valuable info that had been shared for years that superseded the knowledge of most of the so called experts with qdm... So personally they can just go .... themselves, and that is my mild response.
Someday isle
5 year old buck +
You mention martial arts seminars. Who did you train with in Georgia? What kinds of seminars?
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I wish I could see location of members as they post on my smart phone, but it just doesn’t happen.
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Aikido at the Atlanta Aikido center
Someday isle
5 year old buck +
Nice - I know it’s off your original topic. I had a long time student who trained with Francis Fong in Georgia. I’m a career martial artist (37 years now). I thought maybe there was a chance we had some similar experiences. We do traditional Tae Kwon Do, Filipino Kali, Lee Jun Fan, Silat, and Muay Thai with some influences from a few other systems as well. Some great influences and also some great characters in the martial arts world. Here’s a link to an article that features one of the cool things my staff and I get to be a part of beyond our traditional martial arts training.
https://www.mlb.com/news/albert-pujols-stays-connected-with-foundation
Best as I can tell, it seems like there was an issue with the forum. I am a veterinarian, so science and studies have always appealed to me. I also appreciate the fact that experience and talking with others can provide valuable information as well. I have always maintained that the 3 most dangerous words in medicine are "In my opinion." I have seen too many times when facts proved opinion wrong. I also work side by side with other vets, and I do things differently than they because I don't think their results are as good as mine. I have had others swear by some technique that in the hands of others have been utter failures. All I know about QDMA is that they are a great resource of studies and data gathering that help guide me. It's nice to see the whole package of lots of ideas in one place, whether I'm looking for herbicide info or early succession habitat ideas. I've never gotten the idea, and even in the talks now, that claimed to be the Be All, End All. There's a lot of "I've not seen that. It may work, but I've never experienced that" approach to ideas that are brought up in the Q&A. It's certainly been a great launching pad, and for me, continues to be a source of info as well as forums such as these.
On another note, this seminar is being held at what is basically a big quail plantation in coastal South Carolina. Deer are secondary, but they have done an amazing amount of research on their own. For example, they took a huge strip along a power line, sectioned it, and treated several adjacent blocks differently with regard to timing of discing and herbicide application with different herbicides to see what the natural seed bank would produce. Amazing the differences in results. Then they ran into a big area of bracken fern and sprayed different herbicides at different combinations in side by side strips to see what would work best. Similar approach in big areas to see if higher rates of lime or fertilizer affected the natural vegetation. Anyway, I've come away with a good working knowledge of a lot of the stuff that I had been gleaning from the written word for a couple of years. Food plots tommorrow!
On another note, this seminar is being held at what is basically a big quail plantation in coastal South Carolina. Deer are secondary, but they have done an amazing amount of research on their own. For example, they took a huge strip along a power line, sectioned it, and treated several adjacent blocks differently with regard to timing of discing and herbicide application with different herbicides to see what the natural seed bank would produce. Amazing the differences in results. Then they ran into a big area of bracken fern and sprayed different herbicides at different combinations in side by side strips to see what would work best. Similar approach in big areas to see if higher rates of lime or fertilizer affected the natural vegetation. Anyway, I've come away with a good working knowledge of a lot of the stuff that I had been gleaning from the written word for a couple of years. Food plots tommorrow!
Wow, that's really neat!
