QUALITY  DEER  MANAGEMENT  ASSOCIATION  PIKE  COUNTY  BRANCH NEWSLETTER 2003 Summer Issue

Pike County Quality Deer Management Association is a  501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Quality Deer Management (QDM)

 QDM is a philosophy or practice for landowners and hunters to work together toward producing healthy deer herds by not harvesting young bucks but harvesting enough does to better balance the herd and maintain quality habitat. Public awareness and continued hunter education is vital for sound decisions in deer management practices. The national Quality Deer Management Association office is located in Watkinsville, Georgia. Visit their website www.qdma.com for additional information.

Pike County Branch President's Message

 QDMA Pike County Branch President Peter Pinchot explains, "For three years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, led by Gary Alt, has been reforming deer regulations to reverse the severe impact that overabundant deer herds have on Pennsylvania's forests, farms, and suburban communities."

"In the Pocono and Delaware Highland regions, deer herds have degraded the quality of their own habitat leaving them frequently in poor physical condition.  In their search for food, they have virtually eradicated regeneration of the most valuable tree species, undermining the future of our forests. And with declining natural habitat, deer have become increasingly dependent on residential communities for their winter food supply."

"Many hunters, landowners, and community residents are asking how we can restore a healthy balance between deer herds and their natural habitat. Few would deny that deer are an essential part of our wild landscape. But we need practical ways to bring the herd back into balance with its food supply so we can have healthier deer, healthier forests, and fewer deer in our residential communities. The purpose of the September workshop and banquet is to explore sound strategies for accomplishing these goals."

News

Short Course and Banquet

 The Pike County Branch will hold its first Short Course and Banquet on Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Best Western Inn at Hunts Landing on Routes 6 and 209 in Matamoras from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Guest speakers are Dr. Gary Alt, Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife biologist who will give a presentation on Pennsylvania deer herd habitat, and forest ecology issues with deer herd management statewide; Dr. C.J. Winand wildlife biologist and outdoor writer for Bowhunter Magazine will talk about how QDM works; and QDMA Regional Director Kip Adams will review QDM philosophy, land management, and nutrition.

Raffles include a Nebraska white-tailed deer hunt, compound bow, wildlife seed for food plots, apple trees, deer cam, and many other sporting goods items and services. Winners need not be present to win. A silent auction will take place throughout the evening. Please take time to visit our vendors and sponsors.

Registration begins at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets: Individual $40 includes full course dinner and one-year membership in QDMA; $60 Adult and spouse, full course dinner and one-year membership in QDMA for one. Send check or money order to Pike County QDMA, P.O. Box 1147, Milford, PA 18337. Youth hunters and non-hunters are welcome. To make a reservation or reserve vendor space, contact John Buck at 570-828-7239 or Teresa Crerand at 570-686-7611.

Deer Check Station

  

   

 In 2002, the Pike County Branch QDMA sponsored a voluntary deer  checkstation on Rt. 6 one mile west of Milford to collect valid information about deer harvested in Pike County. Measurements taken were dressed weight, age, antler dimensions, whether does produced milk, and where a deer was harvested. As an incentive for hunters to stop at the check station, raffle tickets were issued free to each hunter for chances to win an assortment of sporting goods items and services, and gift certificates for meat processing. A total of 165 deer were checked at the check station and the Blooming Grove Hunt Club supplied data on 105 deer harvested on their lands to increase the database.

 The check station began operation in 2000 by the Milford Experimental Forest, and since 2001 with coordinated efforts by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry.

 Results from the 2001 season were a total of 147 deer measured at the check station with 132 of them harvested in Pike County of which 93 were bucks and 39 were does. 53% were harvested on private land and 47% on public land. The largest Pike County buck weighed 163 pounds dressed and the largest doe weighed 113 pounds dressed. The oldest buck was 8 years and oldest doe 11 years. The largest antler inside spread was 20.5 inches and the most antler tines were 10 points.

In 2000, the oldest doe was 15 years old. Findings are that some button bucks in Pike County are yearlings rather than the expected fawn, likely due to poor nutrition from severely over-browsed habitat.

 

Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH)

            HSH is a national organization that funds processing of deer. Hunters pay $15 toward the cost of processing a "whole" deer and HSH contributes the balance. The first Pike County HSH program was organized after a November 2002 QDMA meeting to benefit a local food bank. The Pike County Coordinator, John Crerand, fills the volunteer position and coordinates pickup and distribution of the meat to a food bank. Prime Time Meats of Milford processed 15 deer in 2002 and 900 pounds of ground venison were delivered to a food bank. For more info. or to make a donation toward the 2003 program, contact Crerand at 570-686-7611.