Mississippi DWFP and MSU to Host Deer Management Workshops

Landowners, sportsmen, and professionals can learn techniques to manage Mississippi’s white-tailed deer population during four upcoming workshops.

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks with Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Extension Service and the College of Forest Resources will offer the two-day workshops in Starkville and Biloxi.

The first set of workshops is July 12 and 13 at Thompson Hall on MSU’s Starkville campus. The second set of workshops is August 9 and 10 at MSU’s Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. Participants may attend either both days or one day. All workshops begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Coffee and snacks will be available at 8:30 a.m.; the program will begin promptly at 9 a.m.

Topics on day one are camera survey setup, deer nutrition, food plots, deer habitat, deer ecology, harvest management, and hunter recruitment. Topics on day two are camera survey picture analysis, science of harvesting deer, scoring antlers, how to age deer, wild pig management, and butchering and meat handling.

Continuing education credit hours are available for Continuing Forestry Education, Mississippi Professional Logger Program, Certified Wildlife Biologist Renewal/Professional Development, and Certified Crop Adviser.

Registration is $95 per day or $180 for each two-day session and includes class materials, lunch, and a T-shirt or cap.

For more information or to register online, visit www.cfr.msstate.edu/workshops/deer2013 or call (662) 325-3133.

Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), formerly known as the Mississippi Game & Fish Commission, is an agency of the government of the U.S. state ofMississippi responsible for programs protecting Mississippi fish and wildlife resources and their habitats, as well as administering all state parks; it has its headquarters in Jackson. The agency issues hunting and fishing licenses, advises on habitat protection, and sponsors public education programs. It is also responsible for enforcement of Mississippi's fish and game laws. It is separate from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, which is the governing body for the state's natural salt-water resources and law enforcement thereof (i.e. Gulf of Mexico, ocean-going vessels, etc.).