Mississippi’s deer population may be at an all-time high and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is asking hunters to help get the population under control by harvesting more deer.
“In looking at the numbers, I think we are probably looking at a record level of deer in the state,” said Russ Walsh, Wildlife chief of staff. “We’ve had good habitat conditions.
“We had a reduction in harvest. People are being more selective. All those things coupled together and you really see the population get on the increase.”
Deer numbers in the state are generated from data including Deer Management Assistance Program harvest records from public and private land. Figures are fed into a model which produces a population estimate.
“It is showing the population is increasing,” Walsh said. “We’re also looking at deer harvest over time. We’re not harvesting as many deer as we used to.”