Legend Biography

R. Joseph Hamilton is a native of Elizabethtown, North Carolina with a BS Degree in
Forest Resources (1971) and a MS Degree in Wildlife Biology (1978) from The
University of Georgia.
He worked as a wildlife biologist with the SC Department of Natural Resources for 19
years before working with Ducks Unlimited and The Nature Conservancy for a total of
10 years. He now has over 38 years of experience in managing a variety of wildlife
species including black bears, wild turkeys, waterfowl, bobwhite quail, mourning doves,
rabbits, and his specialty, the white-tailed deer. An extensive knowledge of habitat
management has been a key to his success in working with private landowners and fellow
professional wildlife biologists on state and federal lands.
Joe is the founder of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) and served on
the Board of Directors of the QDMA until July, 2006, when he was hired as the Director
of Education and Outreach for the Southern Region. He is the 2011 Budweiser
Conservationist of the Year. In January 2012 Joe’s QDMA title changed to the Director
of Development.