QDMA

What is the QDMA

The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) is a non-profit wildlife conservation organization dedicated to ensuring a high-quality and sustainable
future for white-tailed deer and white-tailed deer hunting. Founded in 1988, the QDMA currently has nearly 50,000 members in 48 states and several
foreign countries including over 800 deer management professionals - more than any other white-tailed deer organization. The QDMA has developed
numerous partnerships with state wildlife agencies, timber companies, hunting groups, and product manufacturers. These partnerships have increased
both the awareness of the QDMA and participation in the Association's management philosophy, Quality Deer Management (QDM). Without question, the
QDMA is rapidly becoming the most respected and influential white-tailed deer organization in the United States.

QDMA's Proud History of Accomplishments

While many wildlife conservation organizations have focused their efforts on habitat acquisition or species restoration, the QDMA's primary focus has
always been on education, research, and on-the-ground management. Here, the QDMA has achieved great success. Today, thousands of hunters and
millions of acres of public and private lands are managed under QDM guidelines. The QDMA's relentless educational efforts, which include conducting
hundreds of seminars annually and publishing numerous books, videos, posters, and other items, have substantially increased the understanding of and
participation in QDM.

The QDMA also has actively partnered with numerous federal and state wildlife agencies, forest products companies, conservation organizations, and
other groups to increase support for QDM. The QDMA also was the first whitetail organization to join the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance and is a proud
supporter of numerous deer research projects conducted by state wildlife agencies and universities.

The QDMA has influenced the attitudes of millions of deer hunters and managers. The acronym QDM, while still misunderstood by many, is now a
household word. You cannot pick up a hunting magazine today without finding something on QDM. Likewise, while the QDMA's journal Quality Whitetails
was the first publication to focus exclusively on herd and habitat management, just about every deer magazine today addresses these subjects.

Preserving the deer-hunting heritage is also a priority for the QDMA. Each year the QDMA conducts numerous events for youth and women as well as
supporting numerous worthy organizations like Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, the Paralyzed Veterans Association, and the Catch-A-Dream
Foundation. The QDMA also supports state law enforcement agencies through donations of educational and law-enforcement items such as mechanized
deer decoys.

The QDMA's ongoing commitment to education and stewardship was formally recognized in 2001 when it was awarded the prestigious Group
Achievement Award from The Wildlife Society - the parent body of nearly 10,000 wildlife professionals in North America . The QDMA is the only whitetail
organization ever to receive this coveted award.

The Future of Deer Hunting and Management

The QDMA's early days were devoted to convincing hunters, landowners, and even many biologists, that QDM could work and hunter attitudes could
change. Thousands of success stories later, this is no longer the most difficult task. In more recent years, new challenges have surfaced. Whitetail
populations have skyrocketed, hunter numbers have declined, hunter attitudes have changed, society's respect for deer has declined, and diseases have
threatened some herds. Collectively, these issues are more difficult, complex, and important than at any time in history. Now, more than ever, whitetail
hunters must unite in a collective effort to ensure that whitetail hunting and management remain an integral part of wildlife management in the future.

The QDMA has faced each new challenge head-on and will continue to do so while pursuing our mission to become the most respected, most influential,
and most effective whitetail conservation organization in the world. To accomplish this goal, the QDMA needs your support.

The QDMA's Mission

The QDMA's mission is to promote sustainable, high quality white-tailed deer populations, wildlife habitats, and ethical hunting experiences through
education, research, and management in partnership with hunters, landowners, natural resource professionals, and the public. Membership in the QDMA
is open to anyone with an interest in the wise management of white-tailed deer. The time has come for all deer hunting enthusiasts, regardless of their
choice of weapon or hunting technique, to unite and focus on the common thread that binds them all together - the love of deer hunting and the desire
that future generations will be able to experience the great tradition of deer hunting.

General Objectives of the QDMA

- To serve as a collective and responsible voice for white-tailed deer hunters and managers.
- To improve the quality of deer herds and hunting experiences through sound deer management.
-To promote hunter education and participation through the conducting of meetings, seminars, and demonstrations, and through the production of
educational materials such as books, videos, and the QDMA's quarterly journal, Quality Whitetails.
-To promote and financially support deer research and management projects relating to white-tailed deer management and/or recreational hunting.
-To enhance the public image of deer hunters and deer hunting by providing a code of ethics for members to follow.

The QDMA Promotes:

- Safe and ethical hunting.
- Adherence to wildlife and trespass laws.
- Adequate harvests of adult does.
- Restraint in harvesting young bucks.
- Hunter involvement in education and management.
- Cooperation with wildlife biologists and enforcement officers.
- Education of hunters and non-hunters toward a better understanding of wildlife management.
- Stewardship and appreciation of all wildlife.

Information taken from www.qdma.com with permission.