Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative


The Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative (KQDC) Area is 74,000 acres of public and private forest lands in Northwest Pennsylvania where science-guided management is producing quality deer and quality habitat.  Public access is available across the entire area. 

In the 9-years since the program began, KQDC biologists have documented significant increases in deer body weights and antler characteristics.  Habitat quality for deer and other wildlife has also shown improvement.  As important, forest managers are decreasing their dependence on deer-proof fencing as a tool for reforestation.  This means more habitat for wildlife, and fewer areas off-limits to hunters.

This wildlife and forestry success story is the result of deer hunters and land managers working together.  The sportsmen and landowner leaders of the KQDC invite you to learn more about the project.  Come see for yourself what a voluntary commitment to scientific deer management can achieve for quality deer and quality habitat.
 

Annual KQDC Hunter & Donor Recognition Banquet (01/31/09)

Each year the leaders of the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative in McKean County Pennsylvania show their gratitude for the commitment and effort of the hundreds of deer hunters who participate in the program by hosting a banquet in their honor.  Saturday, January 31, 2009 from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM the KQDC banquet will be held at the Warehouse Restaurant in Marshburg, PA.

About the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative (KQDC)

In 2000 a group of forestland managers, hunters, biologists, and foresters, with support and guidance from The Sand County Foundation,  formed the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative (KQDC).  The goals were to restore quality habitat and quality deer, improve hunter satisfaction, and reduce the need for fencing to protect seedlings, shrubs, and other understory vegetation such as wildflowers from excessive deer browsing. 

Management actions to achieve these goals were conducted on the KQDC Area, located in northwest Pennsylvania.  Lands from the Allegheny National Forest, the Bradford Municiple Watershed, and private timber companies (Forest Investment Associates, RAM Forest Products, and Collins Pine Company) were pooled into a cooperating block of 74,000 acres and managed to achieve the goals.  Hunting on the Kinzua Quality Area is free and open to the public.   

The KQDC is located in the northeast corner of the 500,000+ acre Allegheny National Forest.  Both are located in northwestern Pennsylvania just south of the New York-Pennsylvania state line.  The area is easily accessed from Pennsylvania'’s I-80 on the south and New York'’s I-86 on the north.  U. S. Routes 6, 62, 66, and 219 in PA lead there and make for scenic travel to the area.  Whether you're coming from the East, West, South, or North, getting to the KQDC is easy.