Thursday, April 9, 2020

VDGIF Named QDMA Agency of the Year

ATHENS, GA – The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) is pleased to recognize the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) as its 2020 Agency of the Year.

Virginia deer hunters collectively spend over 3 million days afield annually in pursuit of deer and have an overall success rate around 60% — by far one of the highest success rates in the country. The state also has great harvest sex ratios and an excellent age structure in their buck harvest, all of which can be attributed to the success of their deer management program.

“A quick comparison to other states clearly shows how successful Virginia’s deer management program is,” said Kip Adams, QDMA Director of Conservation. “The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries deer management plan is based in science and public input, and their education and outreach program ranks among the highest in the country.”

The Virginia DGIF has a long history of active deer management, implementing a mandatory check station system in 1947 that has checked in approximately 8.4 million deer. As technology improved over the years, the Virginia DGIF kept up with the times by adopting a telephone check system in 2004, internet checking in 2009, and a mobile checking application in the fall of 2018.

To improve deer hunting and private land management in Virginia, the agency formed a Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) in 1988, with approximately 85% of participants practicing some form of Quality Deer Management. They also developed a statewide deer management plan in 1998 and implemented Earn-A-Buck in 2008. As of last fall, Earn-A-Buck was in effect in 23 counties in Virginia.

Finally, VDGIF’s deer biologists lead the nation in education and outreach by spending an estimated 50% of their time on such efforts, compared to a national average of 15%.

Congratulations to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries on their successful deer management program and efforts to engage and involve Virginia hunters in the planning and management process. For their outstanding leadership in deer management, they are QDMA’s 2020 Agency of the Year.

Photo: Matt Knox (left), deer project leader for the Virginia DGIF, accepts the Agency of the Year award from QDMA’s Director of Conservation Kip Adams.

About QDMA

QDMA is dedicated to ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage. Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with 50,000 members in all 50 states and Canada. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call 800-209-3337 or visit www.QDMA.com. QDMA can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheQDMA, Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheQDMA, and Instagram at www.instagram.com/TheQDMA.