d by Texan Al Brothers. In 1975, Brothers and Murphy Ray Jr. co-authored the book Producing Quality Whitetails. In this book they wrote, “(This) information is for the benefit of all persons who believe in the wise use of our natural resources. Particularly, it is for those who have an uncommon interest in deer herd management, the production of bucks in quality and quantity, and the ultimate reward of good management – the harvest, by hunting, of surplus deer.”When the concept of Quality Deer Management was first introduced there was very slow progress. The idea of Quality Deer Management was at first believed to be a “Texas thing,” because it was much easier to implement on the large ranches of Texas. However, many hunters had heard of the quality of the whitetails in Texas and decided to hunt the land and see for themselves. Slowly but surely the practice moved its way to other regions. After Quality Deer Management had gained acceptance around many areas of North America. However, there were still many challenges that faced the practice, including traditions, misconceptions, land restrictions and philosophical differences. For example, deer herds were traditionally managed to protect does so regions could rebuild their herds. In the process, bucks were overharvested. As a result, buck harvests in most of the northern states were comprised of more then 80 percent yearlings.Unlike southern areas, where most deer habitat consists of larger tracts of private land, most northern habitat is made up of small parcels. Because people in the south have more land at their control, it was easy to practice Quality Deer Management. Northern states have a tougher time because even if you want to practice Quality Deer Management the people that hunt the land next you may not want to.In the 1980’s and 90’s, the U.S. had major economic growth. At the same time, western Canada and the Midwest of the U.S....
