Wildlife Biologist
01-22-2002, 11:23 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: stockbridge ga USA
Posts: 3
Wildlife Biologist
Does anyone know how to find a local WB?
I have been tasked with getting my hunting club up to date with current herd management techniques and am looking for someone to attend a meeting of my hunting club. I am in Atlanta, Ga.
I have been tasked with getting my hunting club up to date with current herd management techniques and am looking for someone to attend a meeting of my hunting club. I am in Atlanta, Ga.
01-23-2002, 05:33 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Dent MN USA
Posts: 78
RE: Wildlife Biologist
For information on deer density and herd management, I suggest contacting the Quality Deer Management Assn at www.qdma.org
Their headquarters is in your neck of the woods in Watkinsville GA. Good Luck
Their headquarters is in your neck of the woods in Watkinsville GA. Good Luck
01-23-2002, 07:31 AM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Munising MI
Posts: 501
RE: Wildlife Biologist
Good advice about contacting the QDMA!
Just a side note. Many times the local biologist does not specialize in Whitetail management. A specialized Whitetail Biologist would do just as well in Florida, as he or she would do in WI. Many of the local biologist around here have a degree, but that's about the extent of it. Many local biologist have the ability to do major damage to the deer herd sometimes influenced by lack of scientific knowledge, regional bias, traditions, or the state itself.
Contact a true whitetail professional, they might be from 2 states away, but it doesn't matter. You are very fortunate to have the resources of the national QDMA office within your vicinity. I had to fly a guy from Alabama up to my property this year, a respected whitetail biologist/forester, just because there was no one within the state I could trust, or who had good refferences.
Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.
Just a side note. Many times the local biologist does not specialize in Whitetail management. A specialized Whitetail Biologist would do just as well in Florida, as he or she would do in WI. Many of the local biologist around here have a degree, but that's about the extent of it. Many local biologist have the ability to do major damage to the deer herd sometimes influenced by lack of scientific knowledge, regional bias, traditions, or the state itself.
Contact a true whitetail professional, they might be from 2 states away, but it doesn't matter. You are very fortunate to have the resources of the national QDMA office within your vicinity. I had to fly a guy from Alabama up to my property this year, a respected whitetail biologist/forester, just because there was no one within the state I could trust, or who had good refferences.
Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.
01-23-2002, 07:46 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: stockbridge ga USA
Posts: 3
RE: Wildlife Biologist
Thanks. I guess I will join. I had looked at the web page, but was unclear on what you get for youe membership other than a magazine. Does this get you access to knowledgable people to help put together, or review a management plan?
My club has been calling itself a trophy club for 6 years now, the only problem is that there have been very few trophy bucks taken. I am starting to think of it as a doe only club, so it is time to do something about it.
My club has been calling itself a trophy club for 6 years now, the only problem is that there have been very few trophy bucks taken. I am starting to think of it as a doe only club, so it is time to do something about it.
01-23-2002, 10:19 AM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Munising MI
Posts: 501
RE: Wildlife Biologist
Maguiver,
It's not that you get a list of people to call from the QDMA, but that there are very good contacts within the organization. These contacts could be a regional director, boardmember, or branch director, but whoever you get in contact with will be a professional. I had Mark Thomas, a QDMA board of director from AL, come to my property. He has a masters in forestry, and wildlife biology, and assisted clients in 37 states from everything with camera sensus, herd management, nutrution, herbiced control(he is also a herbiced scientist), to planting apple orchards, strategic food plot development, and total vegitation management.
And Mark is 1 of quite a few that can be recommended for you to have an expert stop by.
These guys do this for a living, and have for years, they just don't think about it for a living. Again, we need our local biologist, but for specialized wildlife applications, call and expert. You will not find more experts, than at the QDMA.
Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.
It's not that you get a list of people to call from the QDMA, but that there are very good contacts within the organization. These contacts could be a regional director, boardmember, or branch director, but whoever you get in contact with will be a professional. I had Mark Thomas, a QDMA board of director from AL, come to my property. He has a masters in forestry, and wildlife biology, and assisted clients in 37 states from everything with camera sensus, herd management, nutrution, herbiced control(he is also a herbiced scientist), to planting apple orchards, strategic food plot development, and total vegitation management.
And Mark is 1 of quite a few that can be recommended for you to have an expert stop by.
These guys do this for a living, and have for years, they just don't think about it for a living. Again, we need our local biologist, but for specialized wildlife applications, call and expert. You will not find more experts, than at the QDMA.
Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.
01-24-2002, 06:26 AM
#10
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Munising MI
Posts: 501
RE: Wildlife Biologist
BSK,
I kind-of had what you describe happen on my property this year. It wasn't all that bad though. I have very poor soil, and there is not much food throughout the surrounding properties. I doubled my food plot amounts this year, and the quality of the older ones is improving. Consequently, I had a pretty good doe herd on the property for the summer months-especially when compared to the surrounding land. I actually didn't even get a buck picture until 9/28-3 days before our bow opener.
What happened was great though. Our rut is around the first of November, and the bucks seem to really start moving then. Well, the previous 3 years combined I could only find 3 scrapes, TOTAL! This year I found over 25 scrapes, and although I feel the bucks were surrounding the fringe areas of the property, they sure liked coming into the area to look for dates. There were also over 40 rubs that I've found so far-great for our area!
My goal is to actually keep the does on my property. Our winter kill is very severe, with a 50% fawn mortallity in an avg. winter, and the surrounding area is a 15-20 deer per square mile area-I had approximately 6 mature does, 4 yearling does, 1 fawn, and around 5 bucks using the property, with the bucks occupying the fringes.
I feel your right, the does took over the best areas, but the bucks are hanging around, and I'm adding a couple more plots to try and accomidate some of the fringe areas. Because of the competition, I was able to rattle in a nice 8-point and take him with the bow in early November.
Having the does take over hasn't been too bad!
Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.
I kind-of had what you describe happen on my property this year. It wasn't all that bad though. I have very poor soil, and there is not much food throughout the surrounding properties. I doubled my food plot amounts this year, and the quality of the older ones is improving. Consequently, I had a pretty good doe herd on the property for the summer months-especially when compared to the surrounding land. I actually didn't even get a buck picture until 9/28-3 days before our bow opener.
What happened was great though. Our rut is around the first of November, and the bucks seem to really start moving then. Well, the previous 3 years combined I could only find 3 scrapes, TOTAL! This year I found over 25 scrapes, and although I feel the bucks were surrounding the fringe areas of the property, they sure liked coming into the area to look for dates. There were also over 40 rubs that I've found so far-great for our area!
My goal is to actually keep the does on my property. Our winter kill is very severe, with a 50% fawn mortallity in an avg. winter, and the surrounding area is a 15-20 deer per square mile area-I had approximately 6 mature does, 4 yearling does, 1 fawn, and around 5 bucks using the property, with the bucks occupying the fringes.
I feel your right, the does took over the best areas, but the bucks are hanging around, and I'm adding a couple more plots to try and accomidate some of the fringe areas. Because of the competition, I was able to rattle in a nice 8-point and take him with the bow in early November.
Having the does take over hasn't been too bad!
Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.