Fall of course is the most important time of the year for MDHA chapters and members. Deer season obviously, but it is also time to collect hides! The Hides for Habitat program is unique to MDHA and is a celebrated example of recycling. Deer hides donated by conservation minded hunters are turned into wildlife habitat and hunter education. It makes sense utilizing a by- product of our hunt and as a fundraiser, it works! 

Last year MDHA Chapters collected a statewide total of 30,718 hides, that is nearly 20% of the total state harvest. In addition to the hides, 16,640 tails were collected and sold. Even better news is the value of the tails went up nearly seven times the amount from previous years! Between hides and tails MDHA Hides for Habitat program volunteers brought in $198,286. And in case you are curious, to date MDHA has raised $6,212,523 from the generous donations from hunters to MDHA’s Hides for Habitat program throughout Minnesota. Over six million dollars!

As MDHA’s Habitat Committee Chairman, my personal goal is to expand our efforts to enhance, restore and protect habitat. To achieve this, the Habitat Committee promotes and encourages habitat projects and cultivates opportunities to educate adult and youth members of the important impacts made by improving wildlife habitat. The State Habitat Committee is comprised of member volunteers who are dedicated to MDHA’s habitat mission.

Hides for Habitat, Chapter fundraisers, member donations, MDHA’s State Habitat Banquet and partnerships with conservation organizations provide the needed funds. Working together we can use these funds to leave a lasting legacy!

How do we work together? It starts with you, the member, your ideas, opinions, time, talents, vast knowledge, shared interest and personal experiences are imperative to our success. Contact your local chapter, let them know you are interested in conserving wildlife habitat.

Opportunities to contribute at the chapter level include:

• Consider the great opportunity to be the point person for your chapter on habitat project opportunities.
• Identify public land that needs enhancing or restoration work in your community. This may be public hunting land, a State Forest or Wildlife Management Area.
• Connect with the County Land Manager or the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to discuss potential projects.
• Network with other local conservation groups to combine resources for large projects. Afterall, deer habitat projects are also beneficial to many other wildlife species.
• Contact the MDHA’s State Office for more information on how you can get involved and for funding opportunities for the chapter.

Project ideas may include the following:

• Land purchases to be open to public hunting.
• Timber stand improvement projects.
• Thermal cover to aide in winter survival.
• Planting and seeding of various native species.
• Invasive species removal.
• Create wildlife openings
• Trail maintenance for hunter access

The Hides for Habitat program and all the great habitat accomplishments achieved from the funds raised would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of volunteers, members, sponsors and deer hunters. Let’s work together to put the funds raised from the hide donations to work for Minnesota’s habitat. 

Look for MDHA Wildlife Project Area signs on supported projects. 

To achieve our goals MDHA applies for Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council Grants (LSOHC) and Conservation Partners Legacy Grants (CPL) which are funded through the Outdoors Heritage Fund created by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Since 2010 MDHA has participated in 113 CPL Grants and 5 LSOHC Grants for over $17.8 million worth of habiat projects accomplished or in progress across the State of Minnesota. 

These grants fund projects to restore, enhance or protect forests, wetlands, prairies and habitat for fish, game and wildlife in Minnesota. Chapters can donate their habitat funds they have raised to support MDHA's CPL Grant program (CPL Grants require a ten percent match of the grant amount).