MANITOULIN—It’s official, the Manitoulin branch of the Quality Deer Management Association has risen from the ashes and found a new vibrancy following a recent meeting to re-establish a chapter of the organization on the Island.
Peter Craig, the newly-minted president of the Manitoulin QDMA branch, explained that while Manitoulin had been in the forefront of the early QDMA movement, it had languished out of existence over the years.
A lot has changed both on and off the Island over the years, noted Mr. Craig, who agreed to step up to help guide the local branch. He said that he was very pleased with the number of people who have joined him in putting together the local branch and the energy and enthusiasm those volunteers have exhibited for the QDMA concept.
“I think people in general have heard about it from television,” he said, adding that changes in people’s attitude and approach has been gradually growing over the last few years to create the right atmosphere to nourish the organization locally. “The top down approach doesn’t work well,” said Mr. Craig, noting that the QDMA concepts are more grassroots oriented and based.
“Each hunt group is self regulated,” he said. “Everyone has their own approach to management.”
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that QDMA is all about trophy management, it is not,” he said emphatically. “It’s the farthest thing from it.”
A lot of people have different approaches to managing deer herds on their property, pointed out Mr. Craig. “Some people try to shoot nothing under six points, a two-and-a-half-year-old. There is no set definition of exactly how you go about it.”
But there are proven best practices and the QDMA provides information and education on what has been proven to work to improve deer herds.
“Who am I to tell some guy how to go about improving his property?” queried Mr. Craig. But the information is there for those who wish to access it and the QDMA works towards assisting those who want to know how best to improve the herds on their land, from the planting of food plots to grooming stands of trees in the best way to help strengthen the herd. “It’s all about an exchange of ideas.”
The QDMA also has youth programs, like the rack pack for 18 and under and 3D archery shoots.
The QDMA holds a big banquet fundraiser each year, it is a standard part of helping to finance the work that they do.
Those interested in joining the Manitoulin chapter of the QDMA are encouraged to contact Mr. Craig at peter.craig.qdma@hotmail.com. The QDMA website can be found at www.qdma.ca.
