ATHENS, GA (June 19, 2017) - Joe Hamilton, the founder of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), has compiled a lifetime of outdoor writing in his new book, Firepot Stories: Collected Writings of a Naturalist, Conservationist, Wildlife Biologist, Sportsman and Raconteur, available from QDMA.

"Firepot Stories is amazing, informative and inspirational reading for all who love the outdoors and care about the future of wildlife in America and beyond," wrote Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops and noted conservationist, in a quote on the back cover of the book. "My friend Joe Hamilton is, without question, one of our nation's true leaders in conservation, and I am grateful he applied his time, talent and passion to create this outstanding book."

The name "Firepot Stories" – a reference to tales told around fires in hunting camps – was first given to a regular column Joe wrote in Quality Whitetails, the membership magazine of QDMA, and for years Joe was the sole author of the column. Many of those columns, along with a lot of Joe's other writings, published and unpublished, are gathered in the new book.

Firepot Stories contains 10 chapters and 76 stories within its 308 pages. The earliest entry dates back to a 1972 newspaper article that was Joe's first published writing. Numerous unpublished stories are also included covering topics ranging from hunting and fishing to adventurous encounters with snakes and spiders. Educational, interesting and always entertaining, Firepot Storiesgathers the best of Joe Hamilton's more than 50 years as a deer hunter, conservationist, wildlife biologist and naturalist.

"My copy of Firepot Stories will fit quite nicely on the book shelf between Robert Ruark's The Old Man and The Boy and Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanacbecause it has qualities of each," said comedian, sportsman and QDMA Life Member Jeff Foxworthy.

Firepot Stories is available for $29.95 in paperback exclusively on the QDMA website or by calling 800-209-3337.


About Joe Hamilton

Joe Hamilton is the Senior Advisor for the QDMA, which he founded in 1988 in South Carolina. A wildlife biologist, Joe's career has included work with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, and QDMA. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the Deer Management Career Achievement Award from the Southeastern Section of The Wildlife Society, the 2005 Outdoor Life Conservation Award, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation's 2009 Wildlife Conservationist of the Year award, the 2011 Budweiser Conservationist of the Year Award, and the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. Joe and his wife Donna reside in Hendersonville in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.


About QDMA

QDMA is dedicated to ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage. Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with more than 60,000 members in all 50 states and Canada. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call 800-209-3337 or visit www.QDMA.com. QDMA can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheQDMA, Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheQDMA, and Instagram at www.instagram.com/theqdma