By: Matt Ross

Matt Ross of Saratoga Springs, New York, is a certified wildlife biologist and licensed forester and NDA's Director of Conservation. He received his bachelor's in wildlife conservation from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and his master's in wildlife management from the University of New Hampshire. Before joining the NDA staff, Matt worked for a natural resource consulting firm in southern New Hampshire, and he was an NDA volunteer and Branch officer. He and his wife Sadie have two daughters, Josephine and Sabrina.

9 Ways to Conceal Movement While Hunting

Oct 31, 2017 Matt Ross

New research out of the University of Georgia Deer Lab is providing unique insight into the rate at which white-tailed deer process visual images and how they perceive their environment. It appears that deer actually receive…

How Many Does Should You Harvest? Ask Yourself These 24 Questions.

Sep 19, 2017 Matt Ross

Follow Matt on Instagram. Not everyone practicing Quality Deer Management needs to take does. But everyone should ask themselves each year whether or not they need to. There are a number of factors to consider,…

Survey Acorns Now to Improve Production

Aug 22, 2017 Matt Ross

Acorn Scouting TipsNow is a great time to scout the acorn crop. What you find can help identify stand sites for this fall and also predict winter food supplies. Here are a few helpful tips…

3 Boomerang Bucks That Went Non-Typical and Back Again

May 8, 2017 Matt Ross

Follow Matt on Instagram. White-tailed deer antlers are amazing appendages, aren’t they? Through the centuries, they’ve adorned walls of caves, huts, barns, camps and literally millions of homes across North America. Their mystique fills the…

Where Do Northern Deer Find Water in Winter?

Feb 7, 2017 Matt Ross

Follow Matt on Instagram. Winter Water Requirements of WhitetailsHow do northern whitetails quench their thirst in winter when all of the water is frozen? This was an #AskQDMA question we received from a QDMA member,…

QDM Cooperatives: All the Cool Kids are Doing It

May 19, 2016 Matt Ross

What do bell-bottoms, pegged jeans, parachute pants or in todays era, skinny jeans, have to do with deer management? Two words: peer pressure. Our friends wore them, so we wore them. Luckily, I have discovered…

10 Tips for Rattling More Bucks

Nov 1, 2015 Matt Ross

It’s November, and over the next few weeks millions of deer hunters will be hitting the woods in hopes of taking home a giant. Many will attempt rattling but will fail to see any response…

Have We Killed Too Many Does?

Mar 9, 2015 Matt Ross

With all the recent hubbub in the general outdoor media about deer harvests being down, as well as within the pages of the newly released 2015 QDMA Whitetail Report, I’m confident there are literally thousands…

7 Steps to Stronger Acorn Production

Jul 28, 2014 Matt Ross

The key to improving acorn production in oaks begins with identifying the best acorn-producing trees where you hunt, and I shared an acorn survey technique for doing so in the first part of this two-part…

10 Things We Know About Mature Buck Movements

Aug 27, 2013 Matt Ross

Technology is amazing, isn’t it? As I type this article on my laptop, on a plane 20,000-plus feet up, heading to yet another QDMA event, I have access to the Internet! When we land and…