Christmas is sneaking up on you like a hungry mountain lion stalking an unsuspecting and rut-tired buck. Are you looking for a gift that not only creates a smile, but also offers unlimited amounts of value for the whitetail enthusiast? If so, listen up.

I recently spent time with Brian Murphy, CEO of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA). I’ve used the QDMA as a whitetail research resource for years, but even I didn’t realize the extent of services available to QDMA members until Murphy opened my eyes. If you or your hunting friends aren’t members, you're missing the boat for a boatload of whitetail management and hunting information.

As land and wildlife management becomes more of a popular priority across the country, hunters are increasingly seeking aid and assistance in creating habitat for whitetails. You don’t even need to be a landowner. More and more hunters are leasing land and managing land opened to them by friendly landowners, friends or relatives. The QDMA offers members help in laying out a whitetail habitat management program catered to individual circumstances.

They also offer studies, research and detailed help from regional directors who have the pulse on what’s happening in your whitetail backyard. If you want to expand your whitetail education, QDMA offers Deer  Steward courses and a Land Certification Program that offer even more detailed learning for those that want to dive deep into whitetail management.

Other benefits include newsletters, land insurance programs, the Rack Pack for youth and six annual issues of the QDMA magazine, Quality Whitetails.

What does membership cost? A 1-year adult membership mere $30 per year, and if you don’t get that much out of the first issue of the magazine, you aren’t reading it cover to cover.

Visit the QDMA website to explore more of their great member benefits. Merry Christmas.