The National Deer Association (NDA) recorded another successful and exciting year for its Deer Steward program with a powerful lineup of courses.
“This program has proven to have a huge impact across the country and it’s really exciting to see it continue to grow,” said Nick Pinizzotto, NDA President and CEO. “These programs give deer hunters the knowledge they need to make a real difference where they hunt. That is an extremely powerful tool when implemented at this scale and we are already seeing remarkable changes.”
2022 kicked off with a unique custom in-person Deer Steward Level 1 course for Whitetail Properties in Illinois, followed by a habitat enhancement module for their land specialists in Kentucky. This year also marked his biggest Deer Steward course yet, with personalized training for the Arkansas Fish and Game Commission in Little Rock. With nearly 90 WMA biologists, technicians, foresters and administrators in attendance, it turned out to be the largest audience in the show’s history. NDA has conducted custom courses for five other state wildlife agencies, including Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee.
In August, NDA concluded another public Level 2 course in Wisconsin in conjunction with event partner Vortex Optics. Vortex Optics offered a private tour for all attendees to experience their impressive headquarters and world-class shooting and training facility, Vortex Edge. With nearly 40 students from 15 states, the organizations spent several days discussing all things deer biology, habitat management, population ecology, hunting strategies and more, led by Kip Adams, Matt Ross, Ben Westfall and Dr. Craig Harper of the NDA at the University of Tennessee. .
Across this year’s NDA Deer Steward in-person and online courses, the nearly 300 attendees are anticipated to impact more than 2.3 million acres by implementing course knowledge on the lands they hunt or manage . The friendships, knowledge, and appreciation for deer management gained through these classroom courses are an integral part of the program. It is extremely important to the NDA that they are back in full swing, educating and engaging with deer hunters, landowners, and natural resource professionals.
With big things planned for the Deer Steward program next year, NDA plans to announce the dates and locations of its 2023 in-person courses in the next edition of Quality Whitetails, along with exciting news about the online Deer Steward 1 program.
About the National Deer Association
Formally launched on November 10, 2020, the National Deer Association is a nonprofit deer conservation group that leads efforts to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat, and hunting. Formed by combining the strengths of two long-standing and successful organizations, the National Deer Association has a combined 38-year action that has changed deer management to improve hunting and protect the most vital and admired game species. of North America for future generations. Visit DeerAssociation.com or follow @deerassociation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.