National Deer Alliance Formed to Unify Deer Hunters throughout North America
OutdoorHub 07.28.14
Deer hunters, conservation organizations and hunting industry companies from across North America are rapidly uniting to form the National Deer Alliance (NDA) – a new organization created to serve as the unified voice of the modern deer hunter and guardian of North America’s wild deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage.
While deer are clearly the most popular big game animal in North America, a disheartening one percent of deer hunters belong to a national deer conservation organization. Perhaps this is because deer, especially whitetails, have flourished in recent decades. Unfortunately, even whitetails are facing significant threats, many of which were highlighted at the first-ever North American Whitetail Summit hosted earlier this year by the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA).
“I think it’s safe to say the hunting community has taken the whitetail for granted for many years,” said Brian Murphy, CEO of the QDMA. “The Summit not only raised awareness of these issues, but also led to numerous calls for our organization to establish a true umbrella organization for all deer hunters. We have accepted this challenge, formed the NDA, and are quickly building an extremely large and diverse group of supporters.”
The Alliance has already garnered support from many key conservation organizations, most notably the Mule Deer Foundation. “We are honored to be a key partner of the NDA,” stated Miles Moretti, Mule Deer Foundation president and CEO. “The NDA’s mission is clear – to unite deer hunters like never before and harness this power to achieve positive lasting outcomes for deer and deer hunting. This is just as necessary for mule and black-tailed deer as it is for whitetails.”
Membership in NDA is free and includes a comprehensive weekly e-newsletter on issues impacting deer and deer hunting in North America. When an important advocacy issue surfaces, the NDA will notify members in the affected area and mobilize their collective power to achieve positive outcomes for deer. According to Craig Dougherty, NDA Executive Director, “All you have to do is be willing to open your e-mail once a week to see what’s going on in the deer world and stand up and be counted when it matters. Decisions affecting deer and deer hunting are being made every day. Hunters need to have a seat at the table. We should be able to sign up a million deer hunters. That’s a pretty big gorilla to have in the room.”
For more information, or to join the thousands of other hunters who are committed to preserving our deer hunting heritage, visit www.nationaldeeralliance.com.
