Bradford, Pa.:  Two hunters on the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative (KQDC) won the two deer raffle cash prizes for bringing their deer into one of the two Deer Check Stations operated by the KQDC during Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season.  Each hunter that brought in an antlerless deer received one raffle ticket for the $500 antlerless deer raffle prize.  Hunters that brought in antlered deer received one raffle ticket for the $250 buck raffle prize.

Chris Houston of New Castle, Pa., won the buck raffle prize; he harvested an 8-point buck on the first Sunday that weighed 130# and brought his deer into the Marshburg Deer Check Station.  Chris harvested his buck in Buck Lick Run in WMU 2F in the KQDC on the Allegheny NF.   

Mike Burke of Massillon, Ohio, won the antlerless deer raffle prize; he harvested a doe on the first Saturday that weighed 119# and brought his deer into the Willows Deer Check Station.  Mike harvested his doe in Schoolhouse Hollow in WMU 2F in the KQDC on the Allegheny National Forest.

The managers and volunteers of the KQDC thank hunters for the service they provide in keeping the burgeoning deer population more in line with habitat. 

The KQDC is managed for Quality Deer and a Quality Forest Ecosystem to provide a Quality Hunting experience.  Other goals are to provide quality forests for landowners to manage for timber products, local employment, numerous outdoor recreation activities, and quality habitat for all wildlife.

The Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative is an on-going demonstration, begun in 2000, of how hunting can be used to meet the goals of multiple publics for managing deer.  A partnership of forest landowners, forest managers, biologists, hunters, and local businesses developed the program which relies on hunters to manage deer density on a representative forested area.  The program is conducted on a 74,000-acre forested demonstration area in northwestern Pennsylvania.

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Note to reporters:  Photo 1 – Mike Burke with his KQDC doe.  Photo 2 – Chris Houston with his KQDC buck.