Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama

product of QDM and
not a major goal of
this management
technique. Under
TDM, the goal is to
produce a predominantly
male
population in which
those males reach the
upper echelons of age
class and antler development.
Many
bucks harvested under
QDM criteria
would not be har-
The goal of trophy deer management (TDM) is to
produce bucks of exceptional size. Only the
oldest age classes of bucks (5-1/2 years old and
older) are harvested under this type of
management.
vested under a highly selective TDM harvest regime.
Few, if any, bucks are harvested annually under TDM. Considering
the criteria used to define a trophy buck, there should be no surplus
of these animals in any given population. TDM also requires total deer
densities be kept well below the habitat’s carrying capacity. In many
cases, the herd density must be reduced to around 50 percent of the
carrying capacity (Woods 1999a). This ensures optimum forage conditions.
At these densities, fawn production and recruitment will be
highest. Harvest restrictions imposed under TDM ensure the greatest
number of bucks will survive to maturity.
Reduced deer densities are maintained by implementing a heavy
harvest of does. In fact, one goal of TDM is to leave only enough does in
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