Quality Deer Management: Philosophy, Prescription or Dogma?
Address to 1999 Southeast Deer Study Group
by Dr. R. Larry Marchinton
It seems only a few years ago that many, perhaps most, professional wildlifers viewed the widespread practice of Quality Deer Management as laughable. Today the fact that it is the theme of this meeting indicates that few are laughing anymore.
What is Quality Deer Management (QDM) anyhow? Maybe it is best defined by its goals? Brian Murphy, Executive Director of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), said at this meeting last year that, "QDM can be defined as a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and biologists in the common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints." Joe Hamilton has said many times, but is worth repeating, "This level of deer management involves the production of quality deer (bucks, does, and fawns), quality deer habitat, quality deer hunting, and quality deer hunters." I believe a primary goal of QDM is to manage for population and sociobiological attributes more like those that existed before modern man began impacting them. Presumably this includes having close to a 1:1 sex ratio and a significant complement of mature males, as well as females, in the population.
Go to http://www.qdma.com/features/KeynoteAddress.html for complete article.
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Boyd
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Quality Deer thru Sound Deer Management
by Dr. R. Larry Marchinton
It seems only a few years ago that many, perhaps most, professional wildlifers viewed the widespread practice of Quality Deer Management as laughable. Today the fact that it is the theme of this meeting indicates that few are laughing anymore.
What is Quality Deer Management (QDM) anyhow? Maybe it is best defined by its goals? Brian Murphy, Executive Director of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), said at this meeting last year that, "QDM can be defined as a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and biologists in the common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints." Joe Hamilton has said many times, but is worth repeating, "This level of deer management involves the production of quality deer (bucks, does, and fawns), quality deer habitat, quality deer hunting, and quality deer hunters." I believe a primary goal of QDM is to manage for population and sociobiological attributes more like those that existed before modern man began impacting them. Presumably this includes having close to a 1:1 sex ratio and a significant complement of mature males, as well as females, in the population.
Go to http://www.qdma.com/features/KeynoteAddress.html for complete article.
------------------
Boyd
Quality Deer thru Sound Deer Management
