As most of you know, managing animals with home ranges as large as that of white-tailed deer can be challenging.  In the early days where we were consistently working with 5000 to 10,000 acre tracts of land, the management options were wide open.  You knew that you would lose a few deer to neighboring landowners, but the loss would be relatively insignificant.  To combat these loses most management practices took place in the core areas of the land in an attempt to keep the majority of the animals concentrated towards the center.

Today, management strategies are much more complicated due the smaller acres we are now looking after.  Micro management is now the key, not landscape style management.  Landowners now must be resigned to the fact that holding deer on these smaller tracts is much more difficult.  Management objectives can be achieved if realistic goals are set. You can only do so much on 40 acres.  Every critter needs three things to be happy: food, cover, and water.  The objective on these small tracts is to supply the needs of these animals in as small an area as possible in the hopes of satisfying their needs where they want have to travel to find them.  However, even with supplying everything a buck needs, when that time of year rolls around, we all know he gets into traveling mode - searching far and wide to find the object of his desires.  So, what can be done to help protect those bucks that you have invested time and money into growing? That is were QDM co-ops come into play.

You may ask, “what is a co-op?”  A co-op is a group of individuals that join together due to mutual interests to accomplish the same goal.  Well, that seems like a pretty simple concept.  Just get together with you neighbors, sit down, set guidelines, and everyone wins.  The sad truth is that we as deer hunters tend to be a little on the selfish side.  We invest so much time and money into a piece of property to grow those deer that we want to keep them for ourselves.  I don’t know how many times I have been consulting with a client and here these words,” I would like to pass those smaller bucks, but if they cross the line, old Jim or one of his kids will surely shoot him.  So, I have no choice but to shoot him myself.”  The sad part of this is that old Jim is more than likely saying the same thing about my client.  However, this day and time, neighboring landowners tend not to communicate as well with each other as they should.  

With all of this said, lets get to meat of this article.  The reason for me writing this is because of an experience I had in October of 2007.  I was invited to go to Ohio and film a show around the management practices of the Wakatomica Creek QDM Co-Op.  A fellow consult Erich “Stretch” Long of Drumming Log Wildlife Consulting Service had approached us at the QDMA convention back in 2006 and we began discussing some of his management practices that were being used by several co-ops in his neck of the woods.  After two years of discussing our own respective management philosophies, which are extremely similar, we decided to take him up on his offer to come to OH.  In the beginning, we were to interview some of the members of the co-op, take a look at several of the properties, and assist them in taking out a few antlerless deer before the rut kicked in.  It sounded like a good deal to me; I love shooting does and seeing new parts of the country.  Several months before the trip, Stretch called and said that some of the members had said we could actually shoot a buck if he met the requirements of the group.      I was beginning to see just a glimpse into the mind set of this group of land managers.  Could we actually be going to place with the intent of harvesting a mature white-tail buck that someone else grew?  This was not a commercial lodge looking for advertising to book hunts, but just a great bunch of guys interested in spreading the gospel of QDM.  Needless to say I was still a little skeptical about the offer to shoot a buck; but what the hey, we were going anyway, who knows what may happen.  

Stretch picked us up from the Columbus, OH airport and we headed east towards Licking and Knox counties.  Along the way he informed me that we would not be staying a hunting cabin as originally planned, but we would be invading the privacy of one of the families participating in the co-op.  We arrived the home of Mr. and Mrs. Leon Ashcraft whose son Eric is an avid QDMer and is also a partner of Stretch’s in All Outdoors Productions.  The Ashcraft’s were not only going to allow us to hunt their property, but they also fed and housed us for four days.  Again, I was seeing a little bit more into the mindset of these co-op members.  

That night we sat around looking over video and trail camera photos of some of the deer found on the co-op.  After several hours, I could really see the passion these people shared for wildlife management.  Looking though the photos was more like looking at a family album, not just looking at deer.  Most of the bucks were referred to by name and a great majority of them had been viewed for multiple years.  To them, these were not just deer; they were like part of the family.  I still was not completely convinced that we were going to be allowed to harvest a buck if the opportunity arose.  After the photos had been perused several times, Eric Ashcraft said, “Just don’t make a mistake and shoot one of our up and coming two year olds.  If you see a buck three years or older and you like him, feel free to take him.”  See the goal of the co-op members was to pass on yearling and two year bucks.  They felt that their management practices and the genetics found in the area, they could realistically grow high P & Y bucks and perhaps a booner by the time he reached three years old.  That is high standards, but they truly felt they could accomplish it.  

The management practices as a whole were not that dissimilar from ones we practice in the south.  Timber thinnings were used to generate new growth at ground level, quality food plots, supplemental feeds, planting native warm season grasses as cover, harvesting an adequate number of antlerless deer, and most importantly, not shooting young bucks.  They are staunch advocates of the “Let him go so he can grow” creed.I was beginning to feel a little better about our chances to not only see a good buck, but to actually harvest one.  

The first morning, Eric took us to a recently thinned hardwood hillside well before daylight.  Our instructions were, be safe, have fun, take out a mature doe if possible or a nice three year old buck.  Not long after first light deer started moving through the area picking up acorns and eating leaves in the newly fallen tree tops from the timber harvest.  About 8:30, a huge doe gave us the opportunity we were looking for.  By 9:00 we were back at the Ashcraft’s weighing the doe and removing her jaw bone.  She was 162 lbs and was 4 years old.  With this as breeding stock, I can see why they really thought they could grow a booner by three years of age.  To show you a little more about this family, they not only care a great deal about the deer in the area, they are also providers for the families in the area.  That big doe was taken to an Amish family that greatly appreciated the venison.  The more I am around these people, the more I am impressed.

That afternoon, we hunted one of the many food plots scattered throughout the properties.  We saw tons of deer, but chose not to shoot hoping for that chance a good buck.  The next morning was cold and clear and Eric carried us to another oak ridge.  The stand had been hung the previous season and several nice bucks had been taken from it.  With this being the first sit for 2007, could this be the day?  Just as the first morning, deer started filtering through just after first light.  About 7:30 Casey said, “big deer!”  I could tell by his voice, he was not joking.  I grabbed my bow and started scanning the woods.  Sure enough, there he was about 75 yards away headed in the other direction.  He made a scrape as we watched showing his dominance to a smaller buck headed his way.  With his demeanor that morning, we decided to snort wheeze at him to see what would happen.  Much to our surprise, he started heading our way.  He closed the distance to 30 yards and promptly looked up at us.  My heart sank.  So close, yet so far away.  He stared in our direction for over two minutes before deciding to retreat.  I guess the Lord was watching out for me that morning because at 34 yards he turned slightly to get one more look at those two bumps on that tree and gave me just enough time to send an arrow on its way.

The shot looked good, but we did not take any chances.  We went back to the Ashcraft’s to view the video on TV.  After much deliberation, we decided that the shot was good, but may have only gotten one lung.  To add insult to injury to my attitude; they were convinced that this deer was definitely a Boone and Crockett animal.  We waited four long hours before returning to the woods.  We picked up a great blood trial just a few yards from the where the shot took place.  Immediately, the lowest of the lows went to the highest of the highs.  Adrenaline rushed through all of us.  After about 600 yards of following the trail, the lows set back in.  Had I shot too far forward and just got a flesh wound?  The blood went from a pour to a trickle.   At one point, we even lost it for about 50 yards.  By this time, me and Casey were almost in tears.  How could I have wounded this magnificent animal that these guys worked so hard to grow?  I was as down as a hunter could be.  Then Eric said, “I found it again.”  Stretch said he saw two beds where buck had bedded down and then the blood poured again.  Only forty yards later, Casey started yelling and we all saw him lying on the creek bank.

The next thing I see is Stretch and Eric running full speed toward me.  I caught both of them in mid air and the celebration began.  We all took off running across the creek to the downed buck.  We were all speechless.  It took several minutes for us all to regain our composure before we could actually talk about the hunt for the camera.  The next day, Eric hosted one of the co-op meetings at his home.  We just happen to be caping my buck when the members started arriving.  After telling the story many times to the group and seeing the excitement on their faces, I truly began to understand what had happened.  I had been given a great gift by these guys.  Not only was I allowed to hunt on their prized area, but I was allowed to harvest the buck of my life.  There was not one cross word said nor one disgusted look sent my way.  Everyone was genuinely excited for me.  Could this really be happening?  In this day and time where in the whitetail world most of what you see or hear is ‘me, me, me’ and ‘look what I did’.  These gentlemen had shown me the most unselfish act I believe I have ever seen.  They had spent their time and money, passed small bucks for years, harvested antlerless deer, and made habitat improvements to these wonderful properties to grow the buck I harvested.  

I will never be able to tell them how deeply moved I was to be allowed to reap the benefits of their hard work.  From the smallest landowner, who had five acres, to the largest who had around 400,  all were happy to say they had a part in reaching their goals set just seven years prior when the Watatomicka Creek Co-op was started; they had grown a Boone and Crockett whitetail by the age of 3.  What a remarkable success story.  By working together in an unselfish manner, these guys changed the mentality and hunting techniques of their area.  Hopefully, after reading this article, their philosophy will spread showing that with team work, anything is possible. 

Thanks guys for everything!