QDMA to Represent Hunters in Discussion of For-profit Deer Harvest
OutdoorHub 10.02.13
Could regulated commercial harvest of deer solve the problem of overabundant whitetails in the suburbs? QDMA has been invited to sit on a panel discussion of wildlife professionals looking at the potential benefits and concerns raised by this question.
Kip Adams, QDMA’s Director of Education & Outreach and a wildlife biologist, will serve on the panel, a half-day meeting on October 7 at the 20th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“Market hunting is the main reason whitetails were nearly wiped out more than a century ago, so recent calls for commercial harvest have definitely stirred controversy, and QDMA has many concerns,” said Kip. “We’d have to be convinced there are no other viable options on the table, especially those involving hunting, before we could consider supporting such an idea.”
The Wildlife Society is an association of professional wildlife managers and scientists that works to ensure wildlife and habitat conservation through scientific methods, including regulated hunting based on biological principles. The panel discussion to which QDMA has been invited to contribute includes leading scientists and decision-makers in deer management.
“This is a big issue, and I’m very appreciative that QDMA was asked to participate so we could represent hunters in this discussion,” said Kip. “We will consider all viewpoints, but in the end, as with any policy issue we engage, QDMA will support what’s best for wild deer and our hunting heritage.”
The panel discussion will be open only to The Wildlife Society members but will be recorded and streamed online for later viewing. For more information visit www.wildlife.org.
