The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) today released its 10th annual Whitetail Report, a comprehensive update on the status of white-tailed deer including deer harvest trends through the 2016-17 season, the most recent hunting season with complete deer harvest data available from most whitetail states and Canadian provinces.

The 2018 Whitetail Report is available for download free on the QDMA website, and printed copies are available for $12 at QDMA’s online store.

Members of the Media: Outdoor journalists, bloggers, podcasters and others in hunting communications may request a free printed copy by contacting QDMA Director of Communications Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Complete state-by-state estimates of total buck harvest, buck age structure, and other harvest parameters are available in the full Whitetail Report, which also includes a look at numerous other critical issues for whitetails and deer hunters.

Among the highlights of the 2018 Whitetail Report:

• Yearling (1½-year-old) buck harvest rates remain at record low numbers, and the percentage of 3½-year-old and older bucks remains at a third of the total antlered buck harvest.
• 4 percent more antlered bucks were shot in the 2016-17 season than the year before.
• Antlerless harvest was down 1 percent from the prior year. The antlerless harvest has now declined 19 percent in the past decade.
• 65 percent of deer harvested were taken with a firearm, 23 percent by bow, 11 percent by muzzleloader, and 1 percent by other means.

All this information and much more is included in the 68-page Whitetail Report. Each annual report is different, as they cover the most pressing issues of that year. To review all of QDMA’s Whitetail Reports going back to the first edition in 2009, visit QDMA.com.

About QDMA

QDMA is dedicated to ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage. Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with more than 60,000 members in all 50 states and Canada. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call 800-209-3337 or visit www.QDMA.com. QDMA can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheQDMA, Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheQDMA, and Instagram at www.instagram.com/theqdma.