20 Years of Learning about Deer and Hunters in the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative

Kane, Pa. – “Quality Deer, Quality Habitat, Quality Hunting,” are the words John Dzemyan used at the October Roach-Bauer Forestry Forum to describe the 74,000 acres of the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative open to public hunting in McKean County.  Over 20 years ago, five major landowners formed the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative (KQDC) and agreed to work together to better habitat, increase early successional food supplies for deer, establish vegetation and deer research plots, establish deer check stations, and provide information useful to hunters.  John Dzemyan is the Leader of the KQDC.  The five landowners are Allegheny National Forest, Bradford Municipal Water Authority, Conservation Forestry, Kane Hardwoods-Collins Pine Company, and Ram Forest Products.

“We want to share that hunting can be used to help meet goals of the landowners.  We want to see land stay open to public hunting,” said John to the 100+ attendees at the Forum in Wilcox, Pa.

John started his presentation with a 1931 publication from the PA Game Commission (PGC) entitled ‘Share the Bag of the Game’, an effort almost 100 years ago to help feed Pennsylvanians.  Richard Gerstell, one of the first ever deer biologists with the PGC, shared stories with John about his early years and the “don’t shoot does” sentiment from many hunters.  Bob Frye, a well-known outdoor writer in PA, covered the social, scientific, and emotional aspects of attempts by the PGC to align the size of the deer herd with habitat available in his entertaining book called “Deer Wars.”

Aldo Leopold, a famous conservationist in the 1900s stated, “Field trips to fenced areas to see browsed and unbrowsed areas by deer” are a key educational tool to help hunters understand deer food needs.

Understanding of deer herd dynamics as it related to food across the landscape took a major step forward with the arrival of Dr. Dave Marquis at the Forestry Sciences Lab at Irvine, Pa.  The now famous deer enclosure studies were replicated across the four counties of Elk, Forest, McKean, and Warren at different levels of deer densities.   At 4 deer on 32 acres (80 deer per square mile), the deer starved to death, and the habitat was gone.  At 1 deer on 32 acres (20 deer per square mile), the deer were ‘OK’ and the habitat was OK.  At 1 deer per 64 acres (10 deer per square mile), the deer were fat and the habitat was excellent – a diversity of tree species and shrub layers.

Deer ALWAYS need browse to survive, and when the browse disappears, the deer cannot survive or become unhealthy (low weights, small racks on bucks, and little fat reserves).  The exact opposite happens when deer have abundant browse to eat and enough seedlings still remain to create a forest for our grandchildren.  A perfect real-life, landscape example of this happened here in NC PA during the years of 2003-2005 when the PGC created enough antlerless licenses for hunters to get the deer herd in line with habitat.  A smaller deer herd became healthier – weights increased, antlers grew larger, and winter deer kills became minimal.

The KQDC also experienced an increase in snowshoe hare, grouse, bear, turkey, and songbirds as native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers increased in abundance.  Managing deer to keep in line with habitat benefits other wildlife, too.

What did it take for this to happen on the KQDC?  Getting that initial correction of deer to landscape food supply took about 40,000 antlerless permits in WMU 2F, concurrent seasons, DMAP permits, and the opportunity for hunters to have time to hunt.  Research has shown that time is a large constraint for hunters with all their other family and work commitments.  Vehicle car counts on the KQDC have shown an increase in 19% more vehicles on forest roads during the firearm deer season starting with the Saturday opener versus prior to the Saturday opener.

Information from the deer check station shows the following:

• Early 2000s there were 28-30 deer per square mile and the average antler width was only 10”.
• The deer herd was realigned to habitat in 2003-2005.
• From 2006-2017, the deer herd was 13.4 deer per square mile, the average antler width increased to 16.7”, the average weight of a buck was 143#, and the average weight of a doe was 123#.
• The deer herd increased to over 20 deer per square mile after 2018.
• In 2024, the average antler width decreased to 14.9”, the average weight of a buck dropped 15# down to 128#, and the average weight of a doe dropped 25# down to 98#.

The KQDC has documented that hunters can help control the deer herd to keep it compatible with the food supply IF enough licenses are issued, and hunters have the opportunity (time) to hunt. 

An excellent resource book for land managers and land owners is a book entitled, “Deer Management for Forest Landowners and Managers” by Dr. David DeCalesta and Dr. Michael Eckley.  This book contains many case studies similar to the KQDC study.

The next Roach-Bauer Forestry Forum is Thursday, October 10, 2025 and will feature Emily Boyd, Snowshoe Hare and Appalachian Cottontail Biologist with the PGC.  Mark this date on your calendar