WE are The QDMA!

My first experience with the QDMA was August 2012. I was an outsider looking in, meandering through the halls of the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN, in town for the 1st ever Land & Wildlife Expo; I knew half of what I thought I did and even less about where in the world I was going. All I knew was that deer and deer hunting were something special to me, a driving force within my being. Like the overwhelming majority of all deer hunters, however, I knew practically nothing about the one, ever growing organization thats in place specifically for the safeguarding of our hunting heritage, and more specifically the white-tailed deer. As I passed the open doors of that ballroom while trying to find the seminar I was scheduled to be in, a question arose as I paused briefly to take in the sounds from within and check out this super cool buck and doe logo on a placard by the door Who are these people? And, no sooner than Id read the words Quality Deer Management Association more questions came with a fury - Why am I not in that ballroom with them, learning and celebrating the white-tailed deer like they seem to be? Are they like me? Can little old me be a part of such an organization? Even more so, I thought, what is the Quality Deer Management Association really? Quite humorously, I was then, am now, and will always be exactly what they are A deer hunter with a mindset to manage and conserve our most precious resource for the future. In fact, in 99.9% of the seminars I attended that weekend, QDMA members surrounded me: They were sitting beside of me; they were sitting in front of me; they were giving the presentations! Fast-forward to today fresh off the boat from Louisville, Kentucky and the 2015 QDMA National Convention and the National Deer Alliance 2015 Deer Summit, I feel as though my soul has been revitalized and invigorated for the work that lies ahead. Several battles across several fields will keep all of the 60,000 plus QDMA members hard at work for the foreseeable future, perhaps the most important of which is to increase our ranks thereby amplifying our voice and the ripple of conservation minded initiatives we put in play across the American Landscape and beyond. Another important battle the Captive Cervid Industry, rages on and is a fight we must not shy away from - Its repercussions affecting us all, hunter and non-hunter alike. You see, as a QDMA member, youre not only a voice for the Deer Hunter, but also for everyone who loves to see white-tailed deer abound across our great lands.

For exactly 0.083 cents per day you can become one Yes there is a membership fee One that is used for many great things including research, education, outreach, habitat restoration, and much, much more. For more detailed information on why membership dues are important and to see an annual report check out the following link http://www.qdma.com/corporate/annual-report. And, yes, for those of you who dont know Even Non-Profit Organizations like QDMA make money! Its how they allocate that money that matters. What about the men and women who work for QDMA? Are they normal? Do they ever come out from behind the curtain? Although I havent spoken to or met every employee of the Quality Deer Management Association directly, heres what I can tell you about those that I have They smile, they eat, they drink, they laugh, they answer questions and ask them; theyre fathers and mothers, husbands and wives. They drive tractors and like most of us who plant food plots, still have to use that dreaded bag spreader that none of us really love to see coming. They shoot bows and guns and drive cars and trucks just like you and me. Theyre conservations and deer hunters, which sounds pretty darn normal to me. At the end of that day were all looking for something we can be proud of, whether its our work, being a great father and uncle, coach or player, mentor or volunteer. We dont get up at 4:30 in the morning and hit the road to our favorite stand thinking its going to be the day that we dont kill the buck weve been after. If we did, we may never set that alarm, we may never make that trip, we may never come home with the story that happens somewhere in between. Its that same hope that is the driving force of the Quality Deer Management Association, that same unexplainable might that pushes us to do more. Its the undeniable connection that we feel with the beloved animals we set out to hunt; that feeling we feel when we gaze across their majestic presence, release our arrow, and later partake in the meat which they provide for our families. Its that overwhelming sentiment that we must do all we can to make their lives better. And, in so doing, we make our own lives better. We are ordinary, everyday hunters with a mindset to conserve the resource that is white-tailed deer for the future. And that, however insignificant or trivial it may be to some, is what makes us extraordinary. It is what makes QDMA extraordinary. There is no they, there is no them. If youre an ethical, fair chase hunter who seeks to ensure that our landscape is eternally graced by the ever-magnificent white-tailed deer, youre part of the WE that is the Quality Deer Management Association. WE are the QDMA and you can be too Join our ranks today www.qdma.com/join