QDMA’s Brian Towe Helps Form New QDM Cooperatives in Missouri
OutdoorHub 10.21.13
Brian Towe, QDMA’s Wildlife Management Cooperative Specialist, has recently formed six new Quality Deer Management (QDM) Cooperatives in Missouri.
Brian works to establish and support Wildlife Management Cooperatives throughout the state of Missouri, and his recent success has impacted over 23,000 acres of land.
Five Cooperatives within the Niangua River watershed are scattered between Dallas and Laclede Counties and total nearly 19,000 acres. These five Cooperatives are still collaborating to establish individual names, but they will be known collectively as the Niangua River Wildlife and Habitat Management Unit. Brian will provide general guidance to the group as a whole, but he will also provide specific management guidance to each Cooperative, which may establish its own goals and objectives. However, the entire Management Unit has established three general goals: 1. More effectively manage native habitat; 2. Improve the buck:doe ratio; and 3. Experienced hunters will strive to harvest only bucks 3.5-years-old and older.
The Auxxe Vasse River QDM Cooperative, which includes 32 landowners and covers 4,198 acres, was established with the general interest of improving communication between neighbors. Specific goals that the Cooperative has formed include improving native browse, the buck:doe ratio and deer herd health. The immediate plans for the Cooperative include conducting an observational survey and gathering harvest data for the 2013-14 season.
In addition to his Cooperative work, Brian also conducts habitat management training for private landowners, helps coordinate private land assistance programs with Missouri Department of Conservation staff, and participates in projects to promote wildlife conservation, conservation education and Missouri’s hunting heritage. Hunters and landowners in Missouri interested in forming or becoming part of a Cooperative or in receiving habitat management training can reach Brain by e-mail at btowe@qdma.com or by calling (573) 397-1664.
Those interested in QDM Cooperatives outside of Missouri can contact their local QDMA Branch or reach out to a QDMA Regional Director. Contact information for Regional Directors can be found online at www.qdma.com/corporate/regional-directors.
Multiple resources on Cooperatives are also available at QDMA.com, including a video featuring QDMA’s Director of Education and Outreach Kip Adams titled “How to Organize a QDM Cooperative.” That video is viewable by visiting www.qdma.com/videos/how-to-organize-a-qdm-cooperative.
