and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints. Put in simpler terms, “at its core the use of restraint in harvesting bucks combined with an adequate harvest of antlerless deer to maintain a healthy population in balance with existing habitat conditions”, these words written by Joe Hamilton. Does this statement mean that we as hunters must let every buck go until it reaches the age of four or five years old and that we must harvest every doe that comes by? Certainly not, but at the same time we can not continue to harvest yearling bucks and let doe’s walk and expect to see the production of bigger more quality bucks. The key here is hunter education/management which is one of four cornerstones that is needed to have a successful QDM program.
QDM guidelines are formulated according to property specific objectives, goals, and limitations. Not every land manager is going to have the same objective in mind, although to be successful these same basic guidelines should be followed. The following are the four cornerstones of a QDM program produced by the QDMA.
1. Herd Management
2. Habitat Management
3. Hunter Management
4. Herd Monitoring
If followed correctly your QDM program can produce an invaluable hunting experience regardless if a shot is fired. Involvement in a QDM program gives land owners and hunters a feeling of pride and accomplishment while uniting people together.
When a quality buck is taken on a QDM property, the exciement can be enjoyed by everyone involved because it was they who put in the time and hard labor during the off season and let him go when he walked pass them as a small racked buck. Indeed, it is true that one of the goals of a QDM program is to allow bucks to live long enough to express their full potential. However, QDM is really about managing a total whitetail population for maximum herd health and maintaining a balanced population with its habitat. This is not to say that you can’t have fun if you choose not to practice in a QDM program and we surly are not going to win every sportsman over to this concept. That is what makes the spot of hunting a true American sport. It’s the fact that we as American sportsman have the right to make that choice.

Through the 1980’s and 1990’s QDM gained popularity as more and more hunters saw the positive results of good management and healthy balanced deer herds. In 1988 the Quality Deer Management Association was founded by Joe Hamilton. Its purpose was to provide useful management information from deer biologist to the hunting public. Today, ODM is generally accepted and has been implemented in dozens of states and millions of acres on both public and private lands.
By definition, Quality deer management (QDM) is a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and managers in a common goal of producing biologically