AGFC’s Jeremy Brown earns national award for deer management 

JONESBORO — The National Deer Association last week named Jeremy Brown, Deer Management Assistance Program Coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, as its 2024 NDA Professional Deer Manager of the Year Award winner.

According to the NDA’s release, the award is presented to a person with “significant on-the-ground experience, and one who has made a significant, identifiable impact to deer and deer hunting through education, research, or management on public or private lands.”

“On the ground” is a true testament to Brown’s work ethic and attitude —  he is more comfortable in a deer stand or tractor seat than the confines of an office chair. “Down to Earth” is another phrase that fits this Jonesboro-based biologist.

“I am extremely honored to receive such high recognition from the National Deer Association,” Brown said. “It takes a village to move wildlife management forward, make a difference and make the outdoors a better place. Thankfully, the good Lord blessed me with a village that is top-notch and this achievement is a direct reflection of how wonderful my village truly is.”

In addition to overseeing DMAP, Brown is a certified wildlife biologist and a member of his agency’s Deer Team and CWD Response Team. He serves on the board for the Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Southeast Deer Study Group Deer Committee and the Southeast Deer Technical Committee.

“You are only as good as the folks you choose to be involved with,” Brown said. “I can sincerely say that I have the best family, friends, colleagues, partners and hunting community that has sacrificed and contributed so much to making me better, putting quality habitat on the ground, and helping put the hunt into hunters.”

The Deer Management Assistance Program assists landowners and hunting clubs with the management of their local deer herds. Participants collect and submit biological data from the deer harvested on their property. In return, participants are provided a customized, property-specific report with future harvest recommendations based on the club’s management goals.

Upon the creation of the AGFC’s Private Lands Habitat Division and renewed focus on private lands management in Arkansas, Brown implemented a cost-share agreement that brought in five NDA DMAP biologists and restructured DMAP to be more efficient, resulting in a total of 712 participating clubs representing 1.4 million acres of habitat.

“We already had a great foundation of hunting clubs, some have been with us since before I worked for AGFC,” Brown said. “But with the new focus on private land and the addition of those NDA biologists, we found another gear in the program while helping free up the agency’s private lands biologists to get even more work on the ground done.”

To help revitalize DMAP, program staff coordinated 11 events, four recruitment workshops, two timber industry workshops, two herd health seminars, two deer processing workshops, one field day and helped with various other outreach events across the state.

Thanks to the help of biologists across the agency, the AGFC collected nearly 10,000 statewide biodata records, including 8,086 through DMAP. More than 21,000 hours of hunter observation data also were collected thanks to Brown and the team of biologists who support deer herd monitoring efforts throughout the state.

In addition to his contributions to wildlife management, Brown’s work with Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry has increased appreciation for hunting while helping tackle food shortages in The Natural State. The nonprofit organization collects donated deer from hunters throughout the state and uses that protein to fill a much needed role in food banks throughout the state.

“A lot of organizations pitch in to help with canned goods and other nonperishables, but every food bank will tell you that meat is always in short supply,” Brown said. “Thanks to Hunters Feeding the Hungry’s partnership with AGFC, we can get the food to those in need while helping manage deer herds throughout the state.”

In 2024, 37 DMAP clubs and 10 non-DMAP clubs donated 556 deer that were processed into roughly 20,000 pounds of meat that went to Arkansas food pantries.

“Jeremy is an avid hunter and an outstanding deer manager,” Kip Adams, NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer, said. “He runs one of the best DMAP programs and deer donation programs in the country. As such, we are honored to acknowledge him with this award.”

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CUTLINES:

BROWN WITH DEER
An avid hunter and outdoors enthusiast, Brown is well versed in what it takes to manage healthy deer populations. Photo courtesy Jeremy Brown.

BROWN PRESENTING
Brown presents an update on the AGFC’s newly reinvigorated Deer Management Assistance Program at a recent Commission Meeting at Petit Jean State Park. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

DELIVERING MEAT STICKS
Brown (right) helps Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry Director Ronnie Ritter with its highly successful snack stick program, delivering much needed protein to schools for backpack programs. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.