Report Nr. 3452 Evaluation of Quality Deer Management (QDM) in Deer Management Units 152, 155, and 252 (Alger, Delta, Dickinson, and Marquette Counties)

A survey was completed to determine whether hunters and landowners supported existing mandatory Quality Deer Management (QDM) regulations in Deer Management Units (DMUs) 152, 155, and 252. A key feature of these existing QDM regulations was that the definition of a buck was a deer with three or more points on one antler. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 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 82% of hunters returned their questionnaire. About 60% of landowners owning land in DMUs 152, 155, and 252 and 52% of people hunting deer in these DMUs supported continuation of antler point restrictions. Support from both landowners and hunters was insufficient to recommend contin