>>>I don't think you'll find where I've stated that the buck limit was a fundamental of qdm. Quite the contrary. I've often pointed out that it is a blind experiment supported by qdm arguments. There is nothing to base an accurate comparison on before and after the experiment was implemented. The methods of it's implementation flies in the face of all scientific principles for conducting experiments that I've ever been taught.<<<

There was indeed scientific research on what it takes to produce a more biologically balanced deer herd in AL. Just look at the results:

>>>>Gray and his colleagues sat down and looked at the options proposed by biologists associated with the WMA and decided those hunter-supported restrictions were too complicated.

“We decided to look at the data and make it simpler and still have the desired effect,” said Gray, who teamed with fellow biologist Chris Cook to pen “Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer in Alabama,” which is available for download at http://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/game/deer/deerbook.pdf. “With 10 years of harvest data from the WMA, we found by implementing something simple like three on one side it would protect 94- percent of the 1½-year-old bucks. We decided if we got more restrictive and jumped it up to protecting the 2½-year-old bucks then the harvest may be so poor it might doom it to failure. We decided to see what we could do with three points on one side.”

To say the antler restriction has been a success would be a gross understatement, according to Gray and Steve Ditchkoff, a wildlife professor at Auburn University.

“It’s far exceeded expectations as far as age structure of the harvest,” Gray said. “ It’s done a remarkable job of growing a lot more older-age-class bucks for the hunters to harvest. Basically we had a 500-percent reduction in the harvest of 1½-year-old bucks, and a 375-percent increase in the number of 3½-year-old and older bucks harvested. We went from taking a 3½-year-old buck for every 1,900 acres down to taking one for about every 400-500 acres. The number of man-days required to harvest a 3½-year-old buck was down significantly, too. During the 1995-96 season (before restrictions) alone, more 1½ -year-old bucks were harvested (total of 118) than 3½ -plus-year-old bucks during the last 10 years prior to the restrictions combined (total of 109).”

In the first five years of hunting with the antler restrictions in place, hunters have already taken 157 of the 3½ and older bucks.<<<<

You can read the whole article here: http://www.outdooralabama.com/OAOnline/barbourwma07.cfm

So a scientific experiment within the state of AL proved that a very simple AR would work miracles on the deer herd, but the state decided to use this info to implement a buck limit instead.

Its kinda like if I called up a turkey with just a few soft clucks, and then from that experience reasoned that I ought to start trying to call every turkey with a bunch of loud cackles. If the soft clucks worked, then the loud cackles have to work even better, right?