Most deer hunters are surprised to discover that Mississippi has the highest deer density in the nation. The Magnolia State is home to an estimated 1.75 million white-tailed deer. To put this number into perspective, that amounts to one deer per every 17 acres. And with 140,000 deer hunters expected to hit the Mississippi deer woods during the 2010-2011 season, that computes to over 12 deer per hunter. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the odds of taking a deer this season are very good for hunters in the Magnolia State.

However, opportunity does not always account for the hunter’s choice of whether or not to pull the trigger. Even with extremely liberal bag limits and outrageously long seasons, the average 2008-09 harvest was a mere two deer per hunter, with only 75 percent of residents and 68 percent of non-residents harvesting any. The only logical reason why twice as many deer were not harvested is that hunters chose not to take more deer.

“Condition data and field habitat evaluations continue to document the negative effects of current and long-term overpopulation in many areas of the state,” said Chad Dacus, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks deer program coordinator. “Reduction of the deer population to levels where the habitat can recover is surprisingly unacceptable to most hunters. The result is a continued over-use of quality browse by deer.”

Let’s take a closer look at each of the six deer regions established by the MDWFP and identify the better locations to harvest a deer — any deer — this season.

NORTH REGION
A traditionally strong local sentiment against harvesting antlerless deer in this 14-county region has resulted in deer herds expanding at some of the fastest rates in the Magnolia State. Grossly overpopulated deer herds continue to be a problem on lands where antlerless harvest is either severely limited or completely restricted.

“Fortunately, overpopulated deer herds in this region are much easier to control than in other areas of the state,” said Lann Wilf, MDWFP regional deer biologist. “Also, the soil fertility is high enough to allow the habitat quality to be restored after deer numbers are reduced. Therefore, management potential in the North Region is almost as high as any region of the state.”

According to Wilf, Deer Management Assistance Program clubs in the North Region harvested the highest number of deer per acre in more than a decade. Based on data collected from 1,220 deer taken from 141,665 acres in the DMAP, harvest intensity increased substantially from 1 deer per 172 acres to 1 deer per 116 acres. Harvest continues to be skewed towards females, with more 61 percent of the harvest consisting of does. With a rapidly expanding deer herd in this region, both the overall harvest and the percentage of does harvested could stand to be much higher.

Greater than normal acorn crops in the North Region the last couple of years have inhibited the ability of hunters to see and harvest deer. This factor also caused hunters in the region to underestimate the actual numbers of deer on their properties. This trend is likely to continue in 2010-11 with predictions of another big mast crop this fall. If this occurs, deer sightings will be reduced, but herd health, productivity, and fawn production should be higher. These factors will cause the deer population to increase even faster, which can be devastating if hunters in the region continue to refrain from antlerless harvest.

When it comes to consistently producing good numbers of deer, Marshall, Panola, and Tate are the top counties in the North Region. Hell Creek and Charles Ray Nix, two WMAs that have sizeable deer populations, offer draw hunts which greatly reduces the hunting pressure below that found on other public lands. On the other hand, if elbowroom isn’t an issue, ample deer hunting opportunities abound on the expansive Holly Springs National Forest.

NORTH CENTRAL REGION
Consisting of 15 counties, the North Central Region is home to Camp McCain Military Base, nine WMAs, three separate tracts of the Holly Springs and Tombigbee national forests, and the expansive Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge. With such an abundance of public land hunting opportunities, hunters are certain to find plenty of whitetails for the taking.

Much like the North region, DMAP clubs in the North Central Region harvested the highest number of deer per acre in 11 years. Data collected from 5,297 deer from 403,272 acres in the DMAP revealed that the harvest increased from one deer per 100 acres to one per 83 acres with more than 58 percent of the harvest consisting of does. Although the overall herd in this region appears to be relatively healthy, site visits by the regional biologist revealed vastly overpopulated localized areas in the region in desperate need of a change in management.

According to William McKinley, MDWFP regional deer biologist, the management emphasis across the region shifting from harvesting every legal buck and few does, to more quality deer management has had some very beneficial effects. However, this increased interest in deer management has not been able to stabilize the herd’s growth in the region.

“Our deer herds peaked in the early ’90s but are currently experiencing a second peak with many clubs having more deer now than then,” McKinley said. “Increasing the deer harvest is the only way to combat the burgeoning deer herd.”

The top producing deer counties in this region are Noxubee, Oktibbeha, and Winston. These three counties are home to the 48,000-acre Noxubee NWR, the largest tract of the Tombigbee National Forest, and a trio of the state’s top deer producing WMAs in John W. Starr, Black Prairie, and Choctaw.

For those hunters preferring a less crowded public hunting option, Malmaison WMA is a good choice. Located on the western border of the North Central Region, this unique tract consistently produces some very impressive deer harvest numbers.