Learn to manage your hunting property!  Its been a long time in the making but its time for the first banquet of The Heartland Chapter of Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) and we are recruiting membership for the group.  If you are a deer hunter, land owner, land manager, or in any position where you have to or want to learn to manage deer populations please give me a call for more information on the branch. 

The first annual banquet will be held on September 13, 2008 at the Embassy Suites in LaVista Nebraska.  The newly formed chapter represents western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. This branch was started earlier this year and is centrally located in the region at Omaha Ne. The branch strongly believes in education and conservation and will participate in the QDMA's educational REACH program, food pantry feed the hungry programs in Iowa and Nebraska, disabled veteran hunts and youth hunting programs.

The banquet will help raise money for the group and attract membership from western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.  The day promises to be an educational, fun and exciting day for all deer hunters, deer managers, landowners and outdoor enthusiasts.  Starting at 9am a 3-D Archery shoot will be held in the Cabelas parking lot with the banquet to follow at 3:30pm.  You can attend one or both.  The Banquet will include a meal, speakers, raffles, live auction, silent auctions and live music by Nashville Recording Artist Jolie Edwards.  There are some incredible prizes in store and exceptionally high quality items on the auctions.  Some of the prizes and auction item include guns, bows, guided hunts, prints and much more.  Additional information can be found on the branch website www.HeartlandQDMA.com or the national site at www.qdma.com

The QDMA promotes:

• Safe and ethical hunting.
• Adherence to wildlife and trespass laws.
• Adequate harvests of adult does.
• Restraint in harvesting young bucks.
• Hunter involvement in education and management.
• Cooperation with wildlife biologists and enforcement officers.
• Education of hunters and non-hunters toward a better understanding of wildlife management.
• Stewardship and appreciation of all wildlife.

The HEARTLAND BRANCH is dedicated to promoting and representing the national organization of QDMA. The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) is a non-profit wildlife conservation organization dedicated to ensuring a high-quality and sustainable future for white-tailed deer and white-tailed deer hunting. Founded in 1988, the QDMA currently has more than 50,000 members in all 50 states and several foreign countries including over 800 deer management professionals - more than any other white-tailed deer organization. The QDMA has developed numerous partnerships with state wildlife agencies, timber companies, hunting groups, and product manufacturers. These partnerships have increased both the awareness of the QDMA and participation in the Association's management philosophy, Quality Deer Management (QDM). Without question, the QDMA is rapidly becoming the most respected and influential white-tailed deer organization in the United States.

Quality Deer Management is a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and managers in a common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints. This approach typically involves the protection of young
bucks (yearlings and some 2.5 year-olds) combined with an adequate harvest of female deer to maintain a healthy population in balance with existing habitat conditions and landowner desires. This level of deer management involves the production of quality deer (bucks, does, and fawns), quality habitat, quality hunting experiences, and, most importantly, quality hunters.

A successful QDM program requires an increased knowledge of deer biology and active participation in management. This level of involvement extends the role of the hunter from mere consumer to
manager. The progression from education to understanding, and finally, to respect; bestows an ethical obligation upon the hunter to practice sound deer management. Consequently, to an increasing
number of landowners and hunters, QDM is a desirable alternative to traditional management, which allows the harvest of any legal buck and few, if any, does.

The Heartland Chapter is currently recruiting membership from western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.  If you are interested in deer management and would like to become a member please attend the banquet on September 13.  Everyone purchasing a ticket to the banquet will receive a 1 year membership to QDMA along with the ticket.  Companies wishing to promote their products and services should contact the Heartland Branch Directors about sponsorship or donating products to the auction.