Report Nr. 3390 Quality Deer Management (QDM) Survey Deer Management Unit 059 (Montcalm County)

A survey was completed to determine whether hunters and landowners supported proposed mandatory QDM regulations in Deer Management Unit (DMU) 059 (Montcalm County). A key feature of the proposed mandatory regulations was changing the definition of a buck to a deer with four or more points on one antler. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) supports the voluntary implementation of QDM practices on private land in Michigan. However, mandatory regulations should be imposed in a DMU only when it can be shown that a clear majority (>66%) of hunters and landowners support implementation. Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of landowners and hunters; 76% of the landowners and 79% of hunters returned their questionnaire. About 44% of landowners owning land in Montcalm County, and 40% of people hunting deer in Montcalm County supported implementing mandatory QDM regulations. Support from both landowners and hunters was insufficient to recommend implementation of mandatory