The 4 Building Blocks of Quality
Deer Management
While QDM guidelines must be tailored to each
property, there are four cornerstones to all successful QDM programs:
herd management, habitat management, hunter management, and herd
monitoring.
Herd Management
Perhaps the most important part of QDM is herd management. Determining
the appropriate number of deer to harvest by sex and age is essential.
In many areas, deer populations are at or above optimum levels
and herd stabilization or reduction is needed. [More]
Habitat Management
Improving available nutrition is another important cornerstone
of QDM. The diet of a healthy herd should contain 12 to 18 percent
protein and adequate levels of calcium, phosphorous, and other
important nutrients. [More]
Hunter Management
Hunter management is a critical, yet often difficult aspect of
QDM. Education is the key. Hunters must fully understand both
the benefits and costs of QDM. [More]
Herd Monitoring
Herd monitoring is the final cornerstone of QDM. Two types of
data are commonly collected - harvest data and observation data.
Harvest data should be collected from every deer taken or found
dead on a property. Commonly collected harvest data include sex,
age, weight, antler measurements, and reproductive information.
[More]
