What is Quality Deer Management (QDM)?
According to the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), QDM is the voluntary restraint in harvesting young bucks combined with an adequate harvest of antlerless deer to maintain a population in balance with existing habitat conditions. Quality deer management (QDM) is one of many options for managing deer populations on a farm, hunting club, or other unit of land, including a county. It is the Department’s position that QDM can be practiced voluntarily by landowners/hunt clubs without regulatory statutes mandating this to all hunters. The Department has been involved with QDM since 1988. The vast majority of this effort has been focused on private lands through the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). The WD provides technical guidance to support QDM when practiced by landowners/hunt clubs. Persons wanting more information about QDM are advised to visit the QDMA Web site.
