Snowflakes floated to the ground as I made my
way from the parking lot to the school entrance. I found the auditorium where I
was to set up my projection equipment for a seminar I’d be doing. Before I
could get set up several men approached and introduced themselves. They were
part of a group of landowners who hoped to generate interest in quality deer
management by hosting an antler round up. My role in the evening’s event was to
share with attendees how a quality deer management program could provide better
deer and better hunting.
When my show
prep was complete, I made my way into the gymnasium where vendors’ displays were
set up. Throughout the room, people were mingling around displays, enjoying the
evening. Working my way around the gym, I stopped to chat with people who had
come early to see the variety of archery, taxidermists and food plot displays
before taking in the seminar I’d be doing. In one corner of the gym the New
York State Big Buck Club’s antler measuring tables were drawing a lot of
attention as officials measured racks that attendees were bringing in to have
scored. The sight was festive.
When my seminar was finished and the room had
cleared, I had a chance to sit down and discuss with the show’s sponsors what
had taken place. One of their goals was to introduce the public to a better
form of deer management. All agreed that the night went well and hoped the evening’s
events would be a springboard to get hunters and landowners interested in QDM.
During
my two-hour drive home, I compared what I had just seen to Winter 1991, when landowners
in my part of New York state decided to form an organization with a goal to
have better deer and better hunting. In that year, seven other landowners and I
formed the Steuben County Quality Whitetail Group. By the Winter 1992, we were
able to put together a QDM brochure and conduct our first Antler Round Up, in
Avoca, N.Y. The event was a huge success, prompting us to turn it into an
annual event.
In the years that followed, our Antler Round Up drew hunters and
landowners from across New York and northern Pennsylvania who came to learn
about deer management, food plots, forest management, hunting strategies and so
much more. In retrospect none of us had any idea that what we had started would
one day morph into the quality deer management movement our part of the
Northeast has experienced. Now, 20 years after The Steuben County Quality Whitetail
Group was formed, other groups across the Northeast and Midwest have formed and
flourished, thanks to the efforts of dedicated sportsman and The Quality Deer Management
Association.
WHAT IS QDM?
If you are reading Whitetail News for
the first time, I’ll bring you up to speed on traditional deer management and
the concept of quality deer management, and why so many sportsmen are embracing
the QDM philosophy.
For decades America’s whitetail populations have been
managed under a concept known as traditional deer management. In a nutshell, TDM
was used to rebuild America’s whitetail herds after the market-hunting era
(1880 to 1910) and is still practiced today in many areas. Basically it
lets hunters kill any legal antlered buck while protecting all or part of the
antlerless population.
Quality deer management differs greatly from TDM. It is
a philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters and biologists in a
common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds. It
produces quality does, fawns and bucks. Yearling and 2-year-old bucks are
protected to produce mature males, and doe harvesting is emphasized to control
the adult-doe-to-antlered-buck ratio. In addition, the practice strives to keep
deer habitat at a quality level. QDM, if done right, also improves landowner
relations and creates better hunters. The end result is better deer, better
habitat and better hunting—a win-win program.
One might ask after reading the
last paragraph, “QDM sounds great, so why doesn’t every state agency and hunter
want to embrace the concept?” The answer can be complex but basically some view
it as threatening and others simply resist anything that smacks of change.
MAKING
IT HAPPEN
Approaching the public with the QDM message can be a touchy
affair. I’ll never forget the first two seminars held by our fledgling Steuben County
Quality Whitetail Group in New York, soon after we organized. The first seminar
went smoothly, and no one in the audience voiced their disapproval with what we
were proposing.
A couple of weeks later, the group was asked to speak to a
gathering in a bordering county. During the question and answer segment of the program,
several individuals were vocal in their disapproval of any type of quality deer
management. One person accused us of trying to turn New York into an Illinois,
where the common man could no longer hunt because all the land was leased to
the wealthy.
Another called quality deer management the worst type of deer
management ever devised. When we asked the person to elaborate, he went off on
a tangent and never addressed the issue. Two other attendees chimed in with
negative comments, as well. I’m sure the opinions of those four individuals
left many in the audience scratching their heads.
One of the frustrating things
for QDM organizers is the snail’s pace at which the public accepts the concept.
I can share from experience that you often feel like you’re taking two steps
forward and one step back. There will always be dissenters, but a little
planning can keep them to a minimum.
Being organized is the gold standard when
it comes to selling a concept. The best sales people are those who not only
have a vision but also a plan to make the vision a reality. Having your ducks
in a row is critical when selling quality deer management to hunters and
landowners. For starters, QDM’s benefits must take center stage. And one of the
biggest benefits is that the concept has always worked where it was given a
chance.
In my travels as a seminar speaker, I’ve worked for many QDM
cooperatives the past 15 years, and few do it as well as the Thumb Area Branch
of the QDMA, located in the eastern Thumb area of Michigan. Made up of a
cluster of smaller co-ops, this branch has put together two very informative
booklets (QDM 101 and QDM 201) to help educate the public on the virtues of
quality deer management. The branch distributes them free, at a cost to the
branch of $1 each for printing. To date, more than 20,000 of the booklets have
been made available to Thumb area residents.
One of the Thumb’s co-ops, the
Rubicon coop, uses large roadside billboards to show the hunting successes
their members are having. Concerning this, Rubicon organizer Paul Plantinga
said, “The roadside billboards have been great. For the past three years the
boards have run from June through December, with three to four new locations
being posted each month. We have displayed as many as 33 locations in one
season. Because this is a strong hunting area we’ve had no resistance from locals.
As a result, area hunters have not been afraid to send us photos to be
considered for the billboards. We also use permanent miniboards with great
success. Currently we have about 20 locations for these mini-boards around
Huron County and have a waiting list of property owners who are willing to
display them. So, the billboards and the QDM 101 and 201 booklets have allowed
us to reach the public with the QDM message.”
INFORMAL QDM
Certainly,
great things can be done through an organized QDM branch, but it’s safe to say that
many QDM practitioners are not part of an organized group. In the past 20
years, I’ve seen hundreds of QDM programs formed by individual landowners who
chose not to organize. Many landowners in Bradford County, Pa. (in the rich
natural gas region known as Marcellus Shale) have a very successful quality
deer management program, without any organizational structure. They’ve been
successful through selfeducation, sharing ideas, and benefiting from the
Bradford County Trophy Deer and Bear Club, which was founded by farmer and avid
deer hunter, Roger Kingsley. I first met Kingsley when he and several other
Bradford County landowners attended our Steuben County Whitetail Group seminars
in hopes of finding out more about the practice of quality deer management.
Through
the years, I’ve been intrigued by the success of the quality deer management
movement in Bradford County. In discussing this with Kingsley, he said, “Many
landowners here in Bradford County have seen tremendous success growing better
deer by being better educated on what it takes to have a quality deer
management program. Though we are not officially organized we have a great
network among landowners here in the county, so we’ve been able to learn from
each other.
“The Bradford County Trophy Deer and Bear Club does not go out of
its way to promote quality deer management, but I feel it has an indirect
impact on the QDM movement in the county because of what the club does to encourage
sound wildlife management. One way we do it is by having an annual banquet to honor
the trophies that have been harvested in the county. Showcasing the quality of
animals harvested here has influenced many landowners to manage their property
for better wildlife. So, I’d have to say that what the club does has had a
significant impact on the QDM philosophy.”
The success my immediate area has
had growing better deer is a direct result of the Steuben County Quality
Whitetail Group. The information the group disseminated got the ball rolling
and kept the fire lit for more than 20 years. It birthed numerous small QDM
co-ops here in my part of New York State, including our farm and three
surrounding properties. Together the four farms encompass about 750 acres.
Though all of us manage our land a little differently, we all strive to have
better deer, habitat and hunting. The bottom line is that success never happens
in a vacuum. It’s a process. We’ve been able to do it in part by the
information Whitetail News provides, other media dedicated to quality
deer management, and the cooperative that got us started.
Keys to Cooperative QDM
1. Be organized: Failing to plan is a plan to fail. So before forming a QDM
cooperative set goals.
2. Think long term: Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s important not to hurry the
process. Win the public’s trust with facts, results, and a heavy
dose of kindness.
3. Keep the fire lit: Keep QDM and its virtues before the public by hosting
seminars, field days, etc.
4. Set a good example: “More is caught than is taught.” Setting a good
example for fellow hunters can be far more convincing than lecturing them
on whitetail management.
5. Don’t be pushy: Never try to force the QDM concept on people. By breaking down the concept and presenting it in bite-size pieces, you’ll
be more successful.
6. Love your neighbor: To have a successful cooperative requires getting
along with neighboring landowners. Treat them like you want to be treated.
7. Share ideas: Education is power. Sharing what works for you will help to sell the QDM
concept with interested parties.
