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.