QDMA class offered in Illinois

The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) has scheduled a Deer Steward Level I class in Illinois for Aug. 14-17 at The Grigsby in Tallula.

Other Level I courses will be offered at Killens Pond State Park in Felton, Delaware on May 1-4 and in Columbia, South Carolina on May 15-18. Level II courses will be offered at the QDMA National Headquarters in Georgia on June 5-8; and at the Bastow Farm near Edinboro, Pennsylvania on September 11-14.

“Anyone interested in managing their property for deer, and becoming a better steward of that resource, should look into QDMAs’ Deer Steward courses – they are incredibly inexpensive compared to the value of information you walk away with,” said Delaware State Chapter president and a 2008 class co-valedictorian Chip West. “I’ve already used a lot of what I learned on my own property this past year.”

Each Deer Steward certification course follows the four Cornerstones of QDM as a guideline.  Level I courses include nearly 20 presentations by deer management experts over a 2-day period followed by an optional half-day field trip at a nearby location, which provides participants with the opportunity to observe deer and habitat management programs, including forestry and food plots. Level II courses are designed to emulate a hands-on experience for participants who have attained Deer Steward I status. The two-day activity schedule for these individuals will include sessions on aging deer jaw bones; aging deer fetuses; taking soil samples and interpreting soil test results; determining acreage of food plots and calibrating equipment for distributing lime and fertilizer; food plot planting techniques; prescribed burning; scoring deer antlers by the Boone & Crockett method; techniques for determining deer densities and sex ratios; and much more.

Click here for more details on the courses. Registration for both the Deer Steward Level I and II courses started Jan. 12. You can register for the course of your choice through our website or by calling 800-209-3337. To keep the student:instructor ratio as low as possible, each course is limited to a maximum of 50 participants, so register early for your preferred course location and dates. Registration fees for both levels are $800 for non-members, $750 for QDMA members, and $700 for Life and Sponsor members.

“Nowhere else are you going to find the level of experience and knowledge that the Deer Steward instructors have, and on such an intimate basis,” continued West. “The QDMA National Convention always has some fantastic speakers, but at these certification courses you get the same experts but it’s practically one-on-one!”

Just like last year, certified foresters can also earn Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) credits by attending each course.  Duane Means, a certified forester that attended both Levels I and II in 2008 and the proprietor of the Virginia-based company Arrow Forestry recently said “With 15 years experience in forest and habitat management I found the Deer Steward courses to be valuable learning experiences. They combined habitat, deer management, and deer hunting, together with organized and credible information, enabling me to better communicate with landowners about the connections between good forestry and deer management.  I learned the latest information and techniques in deer management and am using them to help meet my clients’ goals. Also, the professional instructors, QDMA staff, and fellow student managers have proven to be great colleagues in my resource network.  I would recommend QDMA Certification courses to anyone practicing resource management involving deer and wildlife habitat.”

For each of the Level I classes the QDMA will also award a high school junior or senior, or college student, interested in a career in wildlife management a scholarship to attend free of charge.  Applicants for the three scholarships should have a strong interest in wildlife conservation and the Quality Deer Management (QDM) philosophy. Interested students will find an application (due March 27) on the Web site, or they can contact Matt Ross, QDMA Certification Programs Manager, at (802) 753-7614 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).