It’s not about taking sides on deer-management issues, and it’s not about culling herds, antler restrictions or trophy bucks.
Then again, it’s about all of these things and so many more that have anything to do with deer. It’s even for anyone and everyone who enjoys deer, be they a hunter or non-hunter.
“It” is the National Deer Alliance, whose goal is to unite all of these factions to achieve positive outcomes for deer and deer hunting. In addition to striving to become the unified voice of the modern deer hunter and guardian of North America’s wild deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage, the NDA hopes to fuel the passion for deer hunting and conservation through engagement, fellowship and education.
A non-profit organization, the NDA made its debut in July after discussions were held in March at the National Whitetail Summit held by the Quality Deer Management Association in Missouri. While not a spinoff off any hunting or conservation group, the NDA already has gained support from the QDMA, Mule Deer Foundation and other deer-focused organizations.
Pennsylvania, like most states, has its share of self-proclaimed turkey, bear, hog, waterfowl and a variety of small game hunters. And while many rabbit hunters may have never sat in a duck blind, the common thread that brings all hunters together is deer hunting.
Deer hunting stirs the emotions, drives the economy with a purchase that can be as mundane as lunch to one that stretches the budget by taking on payments for a new truck and drives the imagination of those who enjoy the challenges provided by the special seasons for archery and muzzleloader hunting. From the deep woods of Maine, to the swamps of South Carolina, to the mountains of Colorado to the plains of Texas, the majority of deer hunters are rifle hunters, and an estimated 800,000 — give or take — of those hunters will be afield for the opening day of Pennsylvania’s firearms season, Monday, Dec. 1.
Nationwide surveys indicate that there are four times as many deer hunters as there are for any other game species. What is alarming, however, is that of the estimated 11 million deer hunters in the United States, just 1 percent are members of a conservation organization dedicated toward the protection of our deer hunting heritage.
The NDA hopes to be the voice of what it says amounts to an army of deer hunters against the constantly emerging threats from anti-hunting organizations that threaten our ability to pursue and value deer. It believes deer hunters must organize themselves and speak up for their rights, and they can do so without paying membership dues or making a financial commitment.
All it takes to join the ranks of NDA is click on its Facebook page at www.nationaldeeralliance.com and become a member. Once done, a member has the option of following the postings as an anonymous “friend,” comment on the posts, create a posting or register for interactive emails to stay abreast of issues affecting deer and deer hunting nationally and provide feedback on surveys.
As much as the methods for deer hunting carry vary from state to state with regulations that permit baiting to techniques that rely on drives, NDA executive director Craig Dougherty said the passion that drives deer hunters is the same. Because of that, he believes the timing was right for a national organization dedicated to deer and deer hunters for a variety of reasons.
“Without deer, we wouldn’t have a hunting industry, as 80 percent of all hunting is for deer,” Dougherty said. “If only 10 percent of deer hunters sign up as NDA members, we will be more than one million strong, and that’s a pretty big gorilla to be sitting at the decision- making table.
“With all of the stuff going on in the deer world these days, decisions are being made daily that affect not only deer, but deer hunters as well. Hunters need to have a seat at the table, and simply put, if you are a deer hunter, you should be a NDA member.”
The NDA is not just about what is good for the hunter, but also about what is best for deer, as those concerns relate to biologists, hunters and non-hunters who appreciate deer. Among the “stuff” affecting deer is the loss of habitat because of urban sprawl, diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease and increased predation by animals such as coyotes and even bears.
“In the past 10 years or so, EHD, CWD, predation and other factors have all had an influence on deer populations and it’s making a difference in a lot of places,” Dougherty said. “We have habitat changing, we have habitat disappearing and, frankly, looking at deer harvests over the last eight years or so, harvest rates are down in more than 50 percent of the states.
“In some of the key deer states the harvest rates are down fairly significantly, and as harvest rates go down, hunter dissatisfaction often increases. One of NDA’s main focuses will be advocacy work, so right now we’re working to unite deer hunters like never before and harness this power to achieve positive outcomes for deer and deer hunting.
“As an advocacy organization, our main goal is to position ourselves to be the voice of the deer hunter. As an example, in Pennsylvania our goal is to have at least 65,000 members, so if there was an issue that came up at 9 a.m., we would email a notice out to our members by 1 p.m. and be able to get their response to Harrisburg by 4 p.m.”
(Dietz is outdoors editor)