Mississippi DWFP Offers Deer Management Technical Guidance

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) Deer Program biologists provide countless hours of technical guidance to landowners, lease holders, and hunters across the Magnolia State annually. This technical guidance is primarily provided through the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). In 2012, MDWFP Deer Program biologists conducted over 200 technical guidance site visits.

Harvest data collected by deer hunters enrolled in DMAP is the primary tool that the MDWFP uses to monitor the state’s deer herd. Annually, over 500 DMAP cooperators provide deer harvest data to the MDWFP. Hundreds of thousands of deer are part of the statewide DMAP database. Since 1986, in excess of 20,000 deer have been available annually for analysis.  In general, DMAP participation across Mississippi is well distributed except for the Southeast Region. The MDWFP encourages landowners and lease holders to contact the regional MDWFP Deer Program biologist in the Southeast Region to learn more about participation in DMAP.

“Without collecting harvest data, land managers have little knowledge to determine if their current management plan is successful,” Southeast Region Deer Program Biologist Justin Thayer said. “DMAP helps managers do just that – collect data and explain it.”

MDWFP Deer Program biologists thank all current cooperators and look forward to making new contacts this coming hunting season, especially in southeast Mississippi.

For more information regarding DMAP or deer hunting opportunities in Mississippi, visit our website at www.mdwfp.com/deer or call us at (601) 432-2199. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWFPonline.

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.).