40 Years of Commitment

By Denny Quaiff for Whitetail Times

Who would have dreamed that when our small group of deer hunters gathered in March 1985 and founded the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, it would grow to be a prominent and highly respected statewide organization? The meeting that night at Seven Springs Marina in Chesterfield County recognized how critical it was for deer hunters to unite. These few dedicated men donated their own money to put things in motion and set the stage that has brought us to where we are today.

Our first order of business was to launch a statewide membership drive and canvas the nearly 300,000 licensed hunters in the Old Dominion that year. Our message was to make sure hunters recognized the need for an organization that represented the increasing threats and concerns. The need for representation for all hunting legislation and game law regulations at the state and local government levels was long overdue.

The late Jack Randolph, Executive Deputy Director, and Bob Duncan, Assistant Director of Wildlife for the then-Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, were the first two officials our association met with at the state level. I asked Bob if he remembered our first meeting that was held at the Department’s old headquarters on Broad Street in Richmond. I asked him to explain how he sees the VDHA as having benefited white-tailed deer management and deer hunters in Virginia throughout our history.

Bob said, “I remember the meeting well that was well represented by a host of very knowledgeable deer hunters who, in many cases, were the presidents or officers for their respective deer hunt clubs. The feedback from the meeting provided the idea and value for the creation of a Virginia-based deer hunter’s association.”

Bob continued, “The organization planned to work constructively with the Department in addressing a wide variety of deer related issues and opportunities, including deer hunting regulations. Their goal was to promote deer management programs to enhance the management, health, and size of the Commonwealth’s deer population.”

Bob concluded by saying, “The formation of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association led to a partnership with DGIF that was critical to advancing deer management and deer hunting in the Old Dominion. These collaborative efforts have been critical to successful deer management in the Commonwealth for the past four decades. Our combined efforts will remain crucial to providing the path forward to successfully meet the future challenges of managing our treasured deer resources.”

Building Membership

Recruiting members for a new organization has proven to be a challenge. The commitment we made to attend hunting shows throughout the state was a positive way to promote our vision at a grassroots level. The strong support we received from outdoor writers also helped. Max Allor with the Richmond Times Dispatch and Bill Cochran with the Roanoke Times wrote numerous columns about our association back in the day. Both men had a strong following, and this backing was most meaningful.

The founders also acknowledged the importance of keeping deer hunters informed, so a newsletter was published during the first year. However, by the second year, the publication had grown to the Whitetail Times magazine format that we continue to enjoy today.

Most nonprofit organizations like the VDHA struggle with financial support and look for fundraising incentives to meet budget demands. I remember the late Tom Rogers, who founded the National Wild Turkey Federation, telling me, “You will never run an organization with just their membership dues,” and that’s a fact.

When this became a reality, we held our first annual fall banquet at the Manchester Moose Lodge in Chesterfield County during the fall of 1987. The raffles and auction sales funded projects which go directly back to the sport and to the deer hunters—the success of our banquets made possible.

The Many Changes We’ve Experienced

As the ‘80s gave way to the ‘90s and we fast-forwarded to the 2000s, the VDHA continued to see how deer and deer hunting were rapidly changing. During this era, the Virginia white-tailed deer herd was booming.

The off season had record attendance at outdoor shows with professional hunters holding seminars. Deer hunting videos filmed by some of the major manufacturers taking big bucks were in demand. The food plot industry was growing, with more hunters building and maintaining food plots in the spring and fall. Post-season shed antler hunting, which I have been a part of for over 20 years, continues to grow. We find some of the serious deer hunters take the challenge to a higher level by using trained dogs to recover the cast antlers. Trail cameras are the latest technology to advance the age of deer hunting, keeping hunters active throughout the year scouting. Deer hunting and white-tailed deer management have become a year-round passion.

DGIF became the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and has continued to offer more hunter opportunities. The special youth deer, bear, and turkey weekend hunts have been well received. Our special archery and muzzleloader seasons have kept more hunters involved.

When you think you’ve seen it all, manufacturers continued to spotlight their new equipment. You can find on dealer shelves today archery tackle with compound bows built with 85% let-off and crossbows that launch arrows at over 500 fps. There are more than 80,000 bowhunters accepting the challenge statewide. The early and late special muzzleloader seasons have over 100,000 hunters chasing whitetails.

Muzzleloader rifles have greatly advanced from the traditional percussion and flintlocks I hunted with when these seasons were first established in 1990. Today, the popular inline rifle is what most hunters use, and the aftermarket custom-built smokeless muzzleloader is the latest addition.

The Deer Hunters Association’s support and legislative backing deserve much of the credit. These new seasons and the advancement in equipment and technology have taken us to a high level of satisfaction.

Advancements in White-tailed Deer Management

When we put all the changes over this 40-year timeline into a proper prospective, the thing that I find to be most significant is the deer management plan that benefits more clubs and landowners today. With the introduction of the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) in 1988, deer hunting set a new direction for the future. The late Mr. Jim Remington, Executive Director of DGIF during that era, asked me to work with Bob Duncan, Chief of Wildlife at that time, to organize a meeting of hunt clubs and landowners in the state.

Our meeting was held at the DGIF headquarters in Richmond. Deer hunt club leaders and landowners gathered to consider some new initiatives that would expand deer management options for the future. The meeting was very successful, and DMAP was officially introduced that night with the program starting on opening day of the upcoming general gun season.

The start of the Deer Management Assistance Program was groundbreaking and encouraged hunters to pass yearling bucks. Deer hunters were learning that by-passing young bucks and harvesting more does, herd balance was better and more large antler bucks were taken. Matt Knox, retired deer project coordinator at DWR said, “When I moved to Virginia 33 years ago, I would have never thought we would be seeing so many mature bucks being taken, but it’s more every year.” This modern-day deer management plan includes over 700 clubs and landowners enrolled with our game and fish agency today. It has been an honor for our association to have been instrumental in establishing this deer hunting experience that has proven to be a monumental change statewide.

Our Flagship Publication

To celebrate the milestone of our 40-year history, our Whitetail Times flagship publication remains a spotlight that shines year-round. Each issue sets a high standard that provides our readers with a magazine that ranks as one of the best in the outdoor industry. Our magazine is a leader in white-tailed deer research and deer hunting, something that we take great pride in.

In recent years, many hunting publications have folded, and others have moved to an online digital version. Most of these decisions result from the huge increase in printing costs that we have also experienced. But what we have continued to produce is quite rewarding. When we look at the magazine business and see how it has so greatly changed, I’m satisfied to say we are still producing a quality publication that sets a high level of excellence.

Conclusion

The experiences that deer hunters have witnessed over the past four decades have been impressive. More hunting opportunities with special archery and muzzleloader seasons have a big following. Hunters have enjoyed both an increase in the number of either-sex hunting days as well as bonus tags which can be purchased for antlerless deer, ensuring the hunting community has greater opportunities.

With all the advancements in technology, more hunters have turned deer hunting into a yearlong pastime. The game camera rage continues to grow, with hunters surveying post season and preseason deer herds. Shed antler hunting has gained popularity in recent years.  Working on spring and fall food plots is another passion of many hunters today and social media posts keep everyone informed of the latest and greatest new equipment.

The thing that’s most disturbing about our last 40 years is that the 300,000 deer hunters licensed when our association was founded in 1985 has dwindled down to 180,000 today. Despite these troublesome statistics, the diversity of our current environment still finds our time-honored tradition continuing for future generations.

Deer hunters that uphold a code of ethics and support conservation efforts supported by public opinion will continue to enjoy what we all love for years to come. While the first 40 years for the Virginia Deer Hunters Association have been monumental, the organization is committed to the future of our hunting heritage!

Our Accomplishments

• Represented deer hunters at the Department of Wildlife Resources and the Virginia General Assembly.
• Was instrumental in organizing special youth hunts, offering a $10 youth membership with the VDHA that provides a column for the Next Generation in each issue of Whitetail Times.
• Established the Lee Roy Gordon Scholarship Grants to graduate and undergraduate students studying wildlife management and white-tailed deer research. This program was introduced in 1996 and over $350,000 has been raised with 39 students receiving scholarship grants and equipment used for research.
• Funded habitat improvement for Public Land through our 501(c)(3) Virginia Deer Hunters Educational and Habitat Foundation.
• Helped establish and continued to support the ”Hunters for the Hungry” Program.
• Helped establish and sponsored the Virginia Poacher’s Crime Line and the Sports Reward Fund.
• Awarded the 1990, National Wildlife Federation’s ”Chairman’s Award” for accomplishments in conservation of natural resources.
• Started a Life Membership Drive in 1991. Today, we currently have 279 Life Members that we are very proud of.
• Published the quarterly Whitetail Times magazine for 40 years. Each issue has feature articles by some of the industry’s most noted outdoor writers. The Game Management, Protecting Wildlife, Archery Shop, Shooter’s Lounge, Dr. Rue’s Whitetail Behavior, Advice for the Next Generation, Hunter’s Corner, Celebrating Venison, and After the Shot are department columns that cover a wide range of topics like no other whitetail publication.