What, Why, & How – The Land of the Pines Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association

In the latter part of 2014 I made the decision to start a local branch of the Quality Deer Management Association. I met with the Regional Director and in February 2015 things became official. The Land of the Pines Branch was formed.  Here are some questions you and others may ask; questions that I asked myself:

What is Quality Deer Management? – For the best answer, as it pertains to the Quality Deer Management Association, click the link (the blue text)! 

Why did I start a Branch?

I started the Land of the Pines Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association based out of Carthage, NC for several reasons:

1) To bring like-minded hunters together – Hunters who hunt for the future; hunters who work as hard as they can to improve the habitat on the lands they steward thereby improving the quality of life for wildlife that call those lands home; hunters who choose quality over quantity; hunters who share their passion with anyone willing to listen, especially the next generation; hunters who give; hunters who conserve.

2) I measure the quality of my hunting experience by the quality of the habitat on the lands I hunt and the quality of the deer & other wildlife that roam those lands.

3) To have more resources at my disposal to share what I know, what I’ve learned along the way about deer and deer hunting; what I’ve learned about Quality Deer Management & to learn from others!

4) Because seeing deer, managing deer, & hunting deer does something good for my soul & I want others to see what I see and feel a rendition of what I feel!

5) To Get Venison to families throughout our community who may need the extra food!

6) To raise funds for the creation of a Scholarship for a young man or woman looking to pursue a career in Natural Resources, Outdoor Writing, or Wildlife Law Enforcement.

7) To raise funds that can be used for seminars on: Wildlife Management, Timber Management, Predator Control, Deer Biology, and more.  Why? When you get good people together, ideas become realities; things previously thought impossible become probable!

How does the Land of the Pines Branch and Quality Deer Management benefit local hunters?

We can all benefit from some of the above-mentioned initiatives that are the driving force behind the Land of the Pines Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association.  Fun; Fellowship; Sharing of Knowledge; Sharing of Venison; Passing on the QDM Mindset, which over time will improve the health and vitality of the deer we hunt across a wider range of our area.  Habitat improvement measures implemented by hunters who practice QDM also benefit a plethora of other wildlife ever-diversifying the North Carolina landscape.

Why, with all of the things going on in this crazy world, are you pushing Quality Deer Management and fundraising to support it?  

Lets face it! The world we live in is wild and crazy at times.  Always has been, always will be.  In the midst of the war on terror, in the midst of all the negative happening across our great lands, the things we love and hold dear at heart are what give us hope; something to believe in.  Can you imagine a world without white-tailed deer? How about one without any wildlife? Managing the properties that I hunt for Quality Deer keeps me grounded, gives me time to reflect and process the world outside of the deer woods, & inspires me to do more to keep what’s great about our country, what’s great about our world, great!

In the end, you’ll be the judge of whether or not The Land of the Pines Branch or any other branch of the QDMA is right for you.  You’ll decide whether or not you become a QDMA member.  What you should know is that the organization does need you!  Local Branches, like Land of the Pines, needs you!  We want to make your story part of our own.  We want to be constructive and build positive relationships.  We want to break down barriers that might have previously existed between hunters.  We want to inspire others, especially non-hunters to take a look at who we are.  And, perhaps most importantly, we want to be a better hunter & steward tomorrow than we were today.

If you’re free on Saturday, August 29th, 2015 we have a banquet coming up in Southern Pines, NC – Our 1st Annual Sportsman’s Banquet to raise the much-needed funds to put some of our ideas into play throughout our community.  Be there if you can!  We’d love to have you!

Banquet Information:

Date – Saturday, August 29th, 2015

Location – National Guard Armory – Southern Pines, NC

Time – 6PM

Dinner – 7PM

Followed by Silent and Live Auctions.