QDMA Press Release
QDMA honors Missouri
Department of Conservation
Bogart, Ga. – The Quality Deer Management Association has named the Missouri Department of Conservation as the 2006 QDMA Agency of the Year for its efforts to promote better deer and better deer hunting across the Show-Me State.
“Missouri continues to do an effective job of creating programs and policies that will improve the overall quality of the deer herd and habitat across the state,” said QDMA Executive Director Brian Murphy. “That’s what this award recognizes, and we are proud to honor the DOC as Agency of the Year.”
The DOC’s herd-management emphasis continues to be on shifting harvest pressure from bucks to does, in order to meet increasing hunter interest in harvesting older bucks and to ensure that adequate does are taken to maintain desirable population levels. In 2004, Missouri introduced an experimental antler restriction in 29 counties to determine how such a restriction affects deer herds and deer harvest patterns, and how it affects landowner and hunter attitudes toward deer and deer management.
The agency conducts regular surveys and public meetings to gauge public attitudes. It has a very active private lands management assistance program, and it works to provide quality deer hunting on heavily used public acreage.
Just as notably, the Missouri DOC also focuses on encouraging deer hunting in the state by providing easy-to-understand regulations, easy-to-use permits, and special youth hunts and seasons.
Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with 40,000 members in all 50 states and several foreign countries. Membership in QDMA is open to anyone interested in better deer and better deer hunting, and committed to ethical hunting, sound deer management and the preservation of the deer-hunting heritage. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call (800) 209-DEER [(800) 209-3337] or visit www.QDMA.com.
–QDMA … better deer, better deer hunting– |
