Ever notice how much deer hunting – and the deer themselves – has changed over the years?
I’m too young to recall Kentucky’s deer restoration program, but I’ve heard that finding a track back then was like getting a trail cam photo of a monster buck today.
We sure have come a long way!
However, I am old enough to remember the other side of that pendulum swing. Deer populations began to get a little too plentiful, and consequently, herd health and habitat quality started to decline.
While few hunters complained about the opportunity to see plenty of deer in the field, this wasn’t a sustainable trend.
The Beginnings of QDM and QDMA
In the late 1960’s, Texas biologists Al Brothers and Murphy Ray Jr. saw the direction that many deer herds were headed. Together, they pioneered the Quality Deer Management (QDM) philosophy, which emphasized managing deer populations to promote healthy herds and sustainable hunting opportunities.
Their ideas gained recognition with the publication of their influential book, “Producing Quality Whitetails,” in 1975. This book is considered as one of the primary sparks that ignited the nationwide QDM movement.
Several years later in 1988, a South Carolina wildlife biologist named Joe Hamilton took that philosophy to heart, and started the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA).
By advocating for the principles of QDM—including balanced deer herds, healthy habitats, and ethical hunting practices—the non-profit sought to transform traditional deer management into a more sustainable and rewarding endeavor for both hunters and wildlife.
Unfortunately, Hamilton and the QDMA had their work cut out for them. Many hunters at the time still remembered a time when deer were few and far between and shooting a doe was taboo.
Convincing hunters to shoot more does and let the majority of yearling bucks walk was an uphill battle, but in time the tides began to turn, and more and more hunters embraced QDM.
Over the next 30 years, state wildlife agencies saw the proportion of does in the annual deer harvest increase while the percentage of yearling bucks being harvested decreased.Â
As a benefit, hunters began to notice the increase in 3.5-years-old and older bucks on the landscape.
Along the way, though, QDMA became more than just an organization promoting the QDM philosophy.
While the non-profit maintained its efforts educating hunters and landowners on everything from white-tailed deer biology to managing habitat and deer herds, it also had a strong focus on hunter recruitment and advocating for white-tailed deer and deer hunters.
Between the national organization and its network of local branches across the whitetail’s range, QDMA introduced thousands of new hunters to the woods.
They also donated venison to those in need and donated time, money, and equipment to various youth archery and shooting sports teams.
They even provided college scholarships for those seeking careers in conservation and helped improve public lands through cleanup days and habitat projects.
The National Deer Alliance is Formed
In the summer of 2014, biologists, conservationists, and hunting industry leaders gathered together in Louisville, Kentucky, for the first-ever North American Deer Summit.Â
The goal was to address the most pressing challenges facing deer populations and deer hunting. The plan was to discuss the need for a national organization to unite the diverse voices of the deer hunting community and be an advocate for deer hunters at the local, state, and federal levels.
The result was the creation of the National Deer Alliance. For six years, the Alliance advocated for its stakeholders, which included organizations like the QDMA, Whitetails Unlimited, and the Mule Deer Foundation.Â
QDMA & NDA Merge
A combination of unique circumstances led to the QDMA and the National Deer Alliance merger.
As the pandemic emerged in March 2020, QDMA’s executive leadership team and Board realized past business models would have to change immediately.
QDMA and the National Deer Alliance had collaborated since the creation of the Alliance in 2014, so conversations about mutual support during the pandemic led to a larger discussion.
With QDMA’s CEO position vacant, a clear path emerged.
Nick Pinizzotto’s experience as President and CEO of the National Deer Alliance, the Sportsmen’s Alliance, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, as well as his extensive industry connections and experience in wildlife policy arenas, made him the ideal person to lead the unified deer organization.
Both organizations recognized that by combining their resources, expertise, and memberships, they could more effectively address the growing challenges facing deer and deer hunters.
These challenges included habitat loss, declining hunter participation, the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), and the need for stronger advocacy at the national level.
The merger was officially announced in July 2020, after months of discussion and planning by the leadership of both organizations.
The unification created a single, streamlined entity known as the National Deer Association, blending the strengths of QDMA’s long-standing expertise in whitetail deer management and education with the Alliance’s focus on advocacy and broad engagement with the hunting community.
This move allowed the new organization to consolidate operations, eliminate redundancies, and expand its capacity to serve hunters and conservationists more effectively.
The Results
As a 10-year employee of the organization who worked under both monikers, I was excited to see the merger and subsequent rebranding.
While we were already accomplishing a lot of great things for all deer hunters as QDMA, it was often overshadowed by the preconceived notion we were just an organization about growing big bucks on private land.
The National Deer Association name reflects our true focus on wild deer and deer hunters. Our prominent programs today focus on hunter recruitment, public land access and habitat improvement.
We’re also focused on deer disease issues, and advocating for wild deer and wildlife conservation at the local, state, and federal levels.
If you’re a deer hunter, you belong in the National Deer Association. Wild deer and our deer hunting tradition are facing unprecedented challenges every day, and the NDA is the only organization dedicated to protecting those resources.
Less than 5% of the U.S. adult population hunts, so it’s never been more important that we stay United for Deer.
At a minimum, you can sign up for a free NDA Basic Membership that will get you on our email list and keep you updated on what’s happening in the world of wild deer and deer hunting.
This allows you to be notified when there are any potential threats to those resources happening in your area.
Of course, we’d love to have you as a paid Premium Member, to help us continue to fund our mission of ensuring the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat, and hunting.
For more information on the National Deer Association, check us out at deerassociation.com.
