QDMA Secures $50,000 Grant from NFWF to Develop Wildlife Management Cooperatives

Wildlife management cooperatives (WMC) are groups of neighboring landowners or property lessees working together to improve wildlife and/or habitat management programs.  One of the largest WMCs in the southern United States is the Greater Noxubee Wildlife Management Cooperative.  This WMC was formed in April 2008 and is 146,000 acres.  Its members include Friends of Noxubee, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Mississippi State University, national forests, Noxubee Refuge, private landowners neighboring Noxubee Refuge, Quail Unlimited, Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), state forests, timber companies, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The WMC’s purpose is to maximize landscape level conservation while enhancing wildlife habitat, hunting opportunities and stakeholder relationships. 

Using the Greater Noxubee WMC as a model, QDMA will create three additional WMCs surrounding National Wildlife Refuges in the Northeast, Midwest and West.  This will result in WMCs being strategically located in four regions of the United States, which can serve as models for additional WMC formations, possibly having a WMC in each of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s 21 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives.  The QDMA will work with Fish and Wildlife Service staff to select National Wildlife Refuges in the above regions with the best potential for developing successful cooperative relationships with neighboring landowners and/or property lessees.  The QDMA will identify and contact potential WMC members, conduct educational meetings, and establish three WMCs.  The QDMA will oversee each WMC during the first year of establishment to ensure continued success.  After year 1, QDMA will remain involved as a member and turn oversight of the WMCs over to the respective National Wildlife Refuge managers.

QDMA’s National Youth Hunt a Huge Success

Ten young hunters from around the nation with limited hunting opportunities recently enjoyed a dream deer hunt at QDMA’s 2011 National Youth Hunt, sponsored by Plum Creek Timber Co.

Held in Georgia on a private host property, the National Youth Hunt was attended by hunters age 9 to 15 from the states of Michigan, South Carolina, Minnesota, Kentucky, Illinois and Oklahoma. The hunters are nominated annually by members of QDMA Branches, who select youths from their communities for the honor. The QDMA National Office then selects 10 of the nominees to attend the hunt; criteria for selection center on the youth’s interest in learning to hunt despite a lack of opportunity, whether it is lack of a place to hunt, lack of a mentor figure to take them hunting, or other obstacles.

“We know from nationwide surveys that interest in hunting among today’s youth exceeds opportunity,” said Brian Murphy, QDMA’s CEO. “They want to learn, but they don’t have someone who can take them or teach them how, or a place to go.” At QDMA’s National Youth Hunt, hunters are treated to great food, great hunting, and plenty of guidance and learning opportunities. One of the most memorable aspects is the participation of the U.S. Army’s Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) out of Fort Benning. Members of the USAMU team work one-on-one with each hunter to teach rifle safety, proper use, and marksmanship with their Remington model 770 Compact rifles in .243 caliber. After spending time on the range sighting-in the rifles, each youth takes a “graduation shot” from an actual deer stand, facing deer silhouettes at various ranges.

Each hunter is paired with a guide throughout the 3-day hunt. Guides include wildlife management staff members from the host property and QDMA staff members. The property’s staff prepare for the hunt for weeks by selecting and monitoring stand sites, and the preparation paid off again this year. By the end of the three-day hunt, all 10 hunters had opportunities to harvest deer, and the total harvest included 13 whitetails and one feral hog. Eight hunters took their first deer ever on the hunt.

Throughout the event, QDMA staff members provide lessons on everything from deer anatomy and skinning/dressing techniques to antler growth and jawbone aging. A visit by wildlife conservation officers with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division provides information on ethics and safety. The overall goal is to provide the hunters with a foundation of knowledge that allows them to feel confident as they pursue future hunting opportunities. “The fabulous setting at the host property, the participation of the U.S. Army and other groups, all of these things and more make this an unforgettable event for these kids,” said Murphy. “We hope it gives them the motivation to continue a lifelong pursuit of their interest in hunting and the outdoors.”

This year’s nominating Branches included the Low Country Branch of South Carolina, the Rum River and Heart of Lakes Branches of Minnesota, the Derby City Branch of Kentucky, The Southern Illinois Branch, the Eastern Oklahoma Branch, and, from Michigan, the Thumb Area, Blue Water, and Northeast Michigan Branches. The youth hunt was made possible by major financial support from Plum Creek Timber Co. Additional companies provided material support, including Remington (loan of rifles), Realtree (caps and gear), Caldwell (E-max electronic hearing protection for the range), Winchester (protective eyeglasses for the range), and the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (caps and t-shirts for the hunters). QDMA would like to thank all of these groups, along with the host property, for making the National Youth Hunt possible.

The QDMA National Youth Hunt is the cornerstone event in QDMA’s national youth outreach efforts, the culmination of numerous other youth events and hunts held nationwide each year by QDMA Branches. This nationwide effort will be greatly expanded with the launch of QDMA’s new Youth Education & Outreach program in 2012.

QDMA Conducts Webinars for American Tree Farm System

Matt Ross, Certification Programs Manager, recently completed a two-part educational webinar mini-series for the American Tree Farm System (ATFS).  The two webinars covered:

Providing Quality Habitat for White-tailed Deer – this presentation covered why providing quality habitat for deer of all age classes is essential for any successful deer management program.  It discussed vegetation management from a forest, old field and food plot perspective, and explained how each fits into an overall habitat management plan providing the necessary food and cover for each season of the year.

Timber Management for Quality White-tailed Deer – this presentation discussed sustainable forest management as it relates to even and uneven-aged silvicultural techniques, as well as how managing hardwood and coniferous stands of trees may differ when considering a quality deer management program.

You can view the webinars by visiting http://www.treefarmsystem.org/atfswebinarseries and selecting the desired topic (scroll down). Once you select the chosen session, it will also allow you to watch the entire slide show and hear Matt give the presentations by clicking on “recording of the webinar”. Each presentation is 1 hour long and a Q&A session follows. If you’d like to see, but not hear the presentation, you can also select “powerpoint presentation slides”.

QDMA Unveils Three Exciting New Programs

QDMA unveiled three exciting new programs in Nashville, TN at the National Convention.  QDMA has been developing each program for more than a year and released the information to great fanfare.

QDMA’s Youth Education and Outreach Program – this will be a fun, engaging and youth-led multi-media program that will create and enrich future hunters and leaders in conservation.  It will be implemented at the National and Branch levels, and will include a dedicated Youth Program website, section in Quality Whitetails, ready-to-launch Branch programs, a scholarship program and more.  QDMA is currently hiring a Youth Program manager, and the program will be launched in early 2012.  Click here for more information about QDMA’s Youth Education and Outreach Program.

QDMA’s Land Certification Program – this is an extension of the highly successful Deer Steward program.  This program recognizes and honors model properties that follow the four cornerstones of QDM and are committed to ethics, conservation and biodiversity through land stewardship.  This program will be officially launched in early 2012. Click here for more information about QDMA’s Land Certification Program.

On-Line Deer Steward Certification – this is a more convenient, affordable way to achieve Level I Deer Steward  certification.  Since the launch of QDMA’s Deer Steward certification program, QDMA members have asked for this opportunity.  Initial on-line courses will be offered in 2012.  Click here for more information about these exciting new programs.

QDMA Conducts Webinars for Penn State Cooperative Extension

Kip Adams, Northern Director of Education and Outreach and Matt Ross, Certification Programs Manager recently completed a White-tailed Deer Management webinar mini-series for Penn State University.  The three webinars covered:

Implementing a Successful Deer Management Program – this presentation discussed different deer management strategies and provided real-world examples of how to manage whitetails. It specifically addressed antlered and antlerless deer management on public land, private land, and on small ownerships.

White-tailed Deer Breeding Biology and Communication – this presentation followed a year in the life of a whitetail buck, and discussed dispersal, home range, and movement patterns; physical changes a buck experiences from 1.5 years of age to maturity; how deer communicate during the breeding season; and how hunters can use this information to improve management.

Providing Quality Habitat for White-tailed Deer – this presentation covered why providing quality habitat for deer of all age classes is essential for any successful deer management program.  It discussed vegetation management from a forest, old field and food plot perspective, and explained how each fits into an overall habitat management plan providing the necessary food and cover for each season of the year.

You can view the webinars by visiting http://rnrext.cas.psu.edu/PAForestWeb/previousseminars.html and selecting “White-tailed Deer Management Series”. Once you select the chosen session, it will also allow you to watch the entire slide show and hear Kip and Matt give the presentations. Each presentation is 45 minutes long and a Q&A session follows. If you’d like to see, but not hear the presentation, you can also select “PDF PowerPoin t Slides” rather than “Recorded Webinar”.

QDMA Supports Youth Hunting in Michigan

In mid-April the QDMA supported Michigan House Bill 4371 and Senate Bill 207 to eliminate the minimum hunting age and create a mentored youth hunting program for those under the age of 10. Hunters play an important role in Michigan’s societal and economic well being. Hunters provide a free ecological service to society by managing deer and other wildlife populations and provide more than $3 billion annually to Michigan’s economy. Unfortunately, Michigan has one of the more restrictive age requirements in the U.S. and regulations that limit youth participation have an impact on a state’s ability to attract new hunters. Michigan will benefit with an increased number of hunters and the infusion of these sportsmen’s dollars. Increasing the number of youth hunters will combat these issues and House Bill 4371 and Senate Bill 207 will help increase youth participation.

QDMA Helps Protect Virginia Wildlife

A recent bill in Virginia could have negatively affected deer, elk and bear populations. Senate Bill 868, introduced by Senator Richard Stuart (R-Montross), would have required the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to issue a permit to any person claiming that deer, elk or bear were causing agricultural damage, thus allowing the person to kill these species without the Department ever investigating if any actual damage had occurred. Currently, before a damage permit to cull deer or bear causing damage is issued, the Department must first conduct an investigation. Only after finding the damage was actually caused by a deer or bear can the Department allow the removal of the problem animal(s). Removing the investigation requirement and adding elk to the species list could threaten the long term health of the state’s deer, elk and bear populations. Under the bill, simply claiming these animals were harming agriculture would allow a person to kill large numbers of animals outside of established seasons, without any restrictions on the method of take, during any time of day or night, and there would be no limit to the number of animals that could be killed once a permit was issued.

QDMA notified its Virginia members of the pending bill and they helped to defeat it! In February, the bill was denied by a vote of 17-3 by members of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee .

QDMA Gives Presentation on Hunter Access at Southeast Deer Study Group Conference

Kip Adams, QDMA’s Northern Director of Education and Outreach, gave a presentation titled The Future of Hunter Access on February 22 at the Southeast Deer Study Group conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Southeast Deer Study Group is the largest deer biologist, manager and researcher conference in the country, and it has been held annually since 1979. The meeting provides an important forum for the sharing of research results and management strategies, and the theme of this year’s conference was All Dressed Up With No Place to Go: The Issue of Access.

Kip’s talk was co-authored by Brian Murphy (QDMA CEO), Joe Hamilton (QDMA Southern Director of Education and Outreach) and Matt Ross (QDMA Certification Programs Manager), and it addressed access as a major challenge facing the future of hunting. The presentation highlighted current research on access issues, public vs. private land hunting, leasing, and the need for education and outreach programs to improve access in the future. For additional information on access, see pages 22-24 in QDMA’s 2011 Whitetail Report (http://www.qdma.com/media-room/) and Kip’s Whitetail Wisdom column in the April/May 2011 Quality Whitetails.

The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) Releases Their 2011 Whitetail Report

Designed to serve as a reference for media, hunters, deer managers, and the corporate sector, the Whitetail Report compiles the latest available data on deer hunting to address important questions, pressing issues and potential threats to the whitetail resource. The 2009 and 2010 reports can be downloaded at www.qdma.com/media-room.

Joe Hamilton Wins Budweiser 2011 Conservationist of the Year!

QDMA Supports Wetland and Grassland Conservation

In December 2010, QDMA partnered with 32 other conservation organizations to support a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to accelerate the conservation of wetland and grassland habitat within the Prairie Pothole Region of South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana through the purchase of conservation easements from willing landowners.

The Prairie Pothole Region of the United States contains the last great intersection of wetlands and grasslands in North America and has been documented as an internationally valuable resource area for migratory waterfowl and other wetland associated wildlife, including white-tailed de

er. In addition to deer hunters, more than 800,000 of our nations’ sportsmen and sportswomen participate in waterfowl and upland game bird hunting in this region annually, supporting local rural economies with expenditures valued at $473 million.

A number of factors are driving substantial landscape level changes to this grassland and wetland resource area that will lead to a massive loss of habitat within the coming decade if not slowed through the implementation of additional conservation initiatives. In fact, at current loss rates, 50% of the remaining native prairie will be lost in just three decades unless the nation can increase its investment in the conservation of these lands.

Conservation easements are popular among many landowners, particularly ranchers, in the Prairie Pothole Region. Since its inception, landowners have enrolled 1.8 million acres in the easement program. Today, there are more than 800 landowners representing roughly 350,000 acres of habitat that have asked to have their land placed under easement. By implementing the new Dakota Grassland Conservation Area proposal to conserve 240,000 acres of wetlands and 1.7 million acres of grasslands, we can both meet the wishes of the landowners and ensure that this area provide critically important habitat for deer, numerous species of upland birds, waterfowl, and other wildlife in perpetuity.

For a summary of QDMA’s involvement in Advocacy items click here.

The Results are in – QDMA’s Rut Survey

Earlier this month we described the rut survey we distributed to 41,000 sportsmen and women in QDMA’s database (see below – QDMA Surveys Hunters on 2010 Rut). So, what’s the consensus among hunters? The majority of hunters in the Midwest and Northeast said the rut was on time and they saw the same number or more rubs and scrapes but less chasing, fighting and breeding than in 2009. The majority of hunters in Canada said the rut was on time but they saw fewer rubs and scrapes as well as less chasing, fighting and breeding than they normally do. Collectively the majority of northern hunters experienced a typical year, but personal messages from numerous survey respondents showed individual seasons ran the gamut from “no rut sign at all in my area” to “strongest rut I’ve ever seen”.

Many factors impact what we observe during the rut including the deer herd’s adult sex ratio and age structure, density relative to the habitat’s carrying capacity, weather, amount of hunting pressure, and likely other variables that we’re not aware of or at least don’t understand very well yet. Are lunar cycles responsible for cueing breeding in whitetails? The popular lunar-based model predicted the rut would be 3 weeks later in 2010 than 2009. Numerous scientific studies dispute this theory, as did the majority of respondents to our survey. This isn’t to say that lunar cycles may not have some effect on deer behavior – just not on the actual timing of breeding. Fawns hitting the ground three weeks later than normal in 2011 would put them at a tremendous disadvantage.

To see the rut survey report, complete with map and chart CLICK HERE.

QDMA Surveys Hunters on 2010 Rut

Every hunter anxiously anticipates arrival of the breeding season in their area. The rut provides deer behavior and activity that can make even the most tenured whitetail hunter’s heart race. With respect to breeding activity, 2010 was “business as usual” for some and anything but normal for others. To analyze the relative timing and intensity of the 2010 rut we surveyed approximately 41,000 hunters in QDMA’s database on 11/24/10 and received responses from 4,557 (11%) by 12/3/10. This was not a scientific study, but the data should provide a general index to what hunters across the whitetail’s range experienced in 2010. Respondents listed the state they hunted and provided data on the number of rubs and scrapes they saw, the amount of rut activity (chasing, fighting and breeding) they witnessed, and the timing of rut activity relative to past years. This survey was especially interesting in 2010 as some hunters follow a lunar-based rut timing predictor (the most notable of which being Charles Alsheimer’s and Wayne Laroche’s). Mr. Alsheimer and Mr. Laroche predicted the “peak of the chasing phase”, or what most hunters refer to as the rut, would occur in late November in the North (3 weeks later than in 2009) with most breeding occurring in late November and early December. Was breeding behavior delayed 3 weeks in 2010? Stay tuned for QDMA’s report due out later this month.

QDMA Secures Funding for New Deer Research

The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) has secured nearly $50,000 in funding for important deer research through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Help Budweiser Help The Outdoors program. The funds will go to studies identified by QDMA as having the potential to provide useful guidance for hunters working to improve whitetail populations and their habitat.

Does the presence of mature bucks in a deer population suppress rut activities by younger bucks and improve their health? A study at South Dakota State University will attempt to further examine this connection and its implications for deer hunters. If mature bucks have this effect, then younger bucks would experience less rut-related exertion before they are physically mature, perhaps increasing winter survival rates and reducing rut-related mortality for immature bucks. This would be one more advantage to producing deer populations with a complete age structure – or numbers of bucks in each age class.

NFWF granted $21,200 for the South Dakota State University study.

The second study, to take place at the University of Tennessee, will examine the long-term effects of prescribed fire on white-tailed deer habitat in mixed hardwood forests like those found through the eastern United States. Habitat managers have long known to use prescribed fire to manage pine stands, and the practice is increasing among landowners. However, less is known about the best timing of prescribed fire in hardwood stands to produce desirable forage and cover for deer. The study will compare the short-term and long-term results of burns during different seasons.

NFWF granted $26,000 for the University of Tennessee study.

“I am excited that QDMA can help fund these unique research projects,” said Kip Adams, QDMA’s Education and Outreach Director in the northern region. “Measuring the physiological impact of a deer herd with a balanced age structure will provide critically important information for deer managers. On the habitat side, no study has ever investigated the effects of fire relative to timing of burning in hardwood forests, so this research has tremendous applications to land managers.”

Since 2005, QDMA’s REACH program has secured more than $350,000 in funding for research projects in more than 20 states – all with practical relevance for deer hunters and managers.

For a summary of QDMA-sponsored research projects, CLICK HERE.

New York DEC Stocks Up On CyberDeer

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently purchased 1,000 copies of Cyber Deer, QDMA’s shot-placement training program, to be used at their hunter education courses. Hunter education instructors throughout New York will be armed with the most advanced deer anatomy and shot placement tool available for their upcoming courses. Cyber Deer is a computer program produced by QDMA, in partnership with Bass Pro Shops, to train new and experienced hunters on organ and skeleton locations and proper shot angles for deer.

Using Cyber Deer, hunter education students can simulate both ground and treestand hunting scenarios by selecting multiple distances and heights from the deer, and select rifle or bow, as proper shot selection changes according to type of hunting equipment used. Students can also rotate the deer and receive instant feedback from the program on shot angles. Students can then “shoot” the deer and receive feedback on shot attempt and shot placement. A visible line representing the shot path stays on screen, and the instructor and students can rotate the deer, zoom in, and see the internal path through accurate diagrams of the skeleton and organs.

Cyber Deer will help new and experienced hunters make more knowledgeable and ethical shot placement decisions, and more knowledgeable hunters are better stewards of our natural resources and better ambassadors for hunting. “I applaud DEC for providing Cyber Deer to their hunter education instructors,” said Kip Adams, northern director of education and outreach for QDMA. “It is a phenomenal training tool, and I hope it will someday be used in every hunter education course in the country.”

To get a copy of Cyber Deer, ORDER HERE.

To learn more about QDMA’s educational programs, CLICK HERE.

Advocating for Whitetails

Each year there are countless threats to the future of deer hunting and management at the local, state and national levels. Due to QDMA’s growth and strong support from the professional wildlife community, it is considered the most respected and inferential whitetail organization in North America. Under the Advocacy arm of REACH, QDMA gets involved in numerous whitetail issues annually.

From January to November 2010, QDMA engaged in 38 policy or management issues in 15 states (CT, DE, GA, IN, KY, MD, MI, MN, NH, NY, OH, PA, SC, VA, VT) including:
• Being part of a task force assessing buck age structure management in New Hampshire.
• Opposing a bill to change baiting laws in Georgia.
• Supporting initiatives to protect yearling bucks in Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia.
• Opposing a bill to transfer authority of captive deer and elk from the DNR to the Department of Agriculture In Ohio.
• Supporting a full funding initiative for agencies managing South Carolina’s public resources, and
• Supporting Sunday hunting initiatives in Connecticut and Maryland.

400 Deer Stewards and Counting!

QDMA conducted five additional Deer Steward certification courses in 2010 and is scheduling five courses for 2011. QDMA’s Deer Steward certification program is a personal educational experience designed to offer landowners, hunters and natural resource professionals an opportunity to learn from the nation’s top experts about QDM. By taking both Level I and II, graduates are able to design and implement their own comprehensive white-tailed deer management plan. To date, over 400 individuals have participated in the Deer Steward program, with 232 Level I, 152 Level II and 19 Level III graduates, representing 34 states, three Canadian provinces and one U.S. Virgin Island. To see a map and summary of where these Deer Stewards are from, and what levels of certification they have achieved, CLICK HERE.

For more information on QDMA’s certification program, CLICK HERE.

QDMA’s 2010 National Youth Hunt

Like most conservation organizations, QDMA holds special youth hunts throughout the nation every fall – those organized and held by our volunteer Branches, who reach hundreds of youngsters annually. As an extension of the REACH Program, the QDMA National Office conducts a National Youth Hunt as well and invites each Branch to nominate a young hunter from their region. Selection priority goes toward youngsters with a desire to hunt but who have little or no opportunity or access to hunting or who are deserving for other reasons. This year’s call for nominations was answered overwhelmingly, with more submissions, by far, than the National Office has ever received. From the names, 10 young hunters were chosen to attend.

For the National event, QDMA strives to create a true “dream hunt” for attendees, who come from all over the nation. To do this requires the support of a number of sponsors, volunteers and other contributors from outside the organization. This year’s primary benefactors included Plum Creek Timber Co. and Remington, but many other supporters played roles, including the nominating Branches, who offset travel expenses for their nominees and parents/guardians.
For the fourth year running, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) out of Fort Benning, Georgia, has been an overwhelmingly generous partner in QDMA’s National Youth Hunt. Several of our nation’s top military marksman – including active-duty snipers and Army marksmanship instructors – work individually with each youth hunter to teach safe and accurate use of the Remington Model 770 .243 bolt-action rifles used in the hunt.

Given these and other contributions to the event, and a weekend with great weather and good hunting conditions, the event was a huge success. Complete coverage is included in the December 2010 issue of Quality Whitetails magazine, and you can see photos at QDMA’s Facebook fan page.

For more information on the Hunting Heritage arm of REACH or QDMA’s mentored hunting program, CLICK HERE.