MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES, AND PARKS Steve Gulledge 2016 DEER PROGRAM REPORT PREPARED BY MDWFP WILDLIFE BUREAU 20162015–2016 Mississippi Deer Program Report i 2015 Deer Program Report Governor of Mississippi DEER REPORT Phil Bryant Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves Senate Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Committee Philip Moran, Chairman Angela Burks Hill, Vice-Chairman Jennifer B. Branning Chris Caughman Gary Jackson Sampson Jackson II Chris Massey Derrick T. Simmons Bill Stone Gray Tollison Michael Watson House of Representatives Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Committee C. Scott Bounds, Chairman Shane Barnett, Vice-Chairman Lester Carpenter Bryant W. Clark Angela Cockerham John Glen Corley Bob Evans Karl Gibbs Steve Hopkins Robert L. Johnson III Bill Kinkade John Thomas “Trey” Lamar, III Vince Mangold Ken Morgan Karl Oliver Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Clay Wagner, Chairman Bill F. Cossar, Vice-Chairman Scott Coopwood Robert Taylor Bill Mounger Administration Sam Polles, Ph.D., Executive Director Robert L. Cook, Deputy Executive Director Michael Bolden, Director of Administrative Services Larry Castle, Director of Technical Programs Jennifer Head, Director/Chief Financial Officer Charles Knight, Executive Officer of Museum, Conservation Outreach, and Education ii 2015–2016 Mississippi Deer Program Report Table of Contents Paul Brown TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE Governor and Legislative Committees ................................................................................................................................. ii Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks ..................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................................................ iv Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................................................1 Wildlife Management Area Data ..................................................................................................................................... 2-23 Wildlife Management Areas ....................................................................................................................................................2-3 Wildlife Management Area Harvest Information ........................................................................................................................ 4 Wildlife Management Area Narratives ..................................................................................................................................5-23 Statewide Narrative .............................................................................................................................................................24 Road Kill Survey Report ................................................................................................................................................ 25-26 Mobile App ..........................................................................................................................................................................27 Disease Data .................................................................................................................................................................. 28-31 Chronic Wasting Disease ...................................................................................................................................................28-29 Hemorrhagic Disease .........................................................................................................................................................30-31 Animal Control Permits .......................................................................................................................................................32 Deer Herd Health Evaluations ....................................................................................................................................... 33-35 Antler Regulations ...............................................................................................................................................................36 High Fenced Enclosures .....................................................................................................................................................37 Deer Tags ....................................................................................................................................................................... 38-39 Deer Management ......................................................................................................................................................... 41-50 Deer Management Assistance Program .............................................................................................................................41-43 Statewide DMAP Data ........................................................................................................................................................44-50 Mississippi Soil Resources ........................................................................................................................................... 51-62 Mississippi Soil Resource Areas ............................................................................................................................................. 51 Batture Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data ............................................................................................................. 52 Delta Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data ................................................................................................................ 53 Upper Thick Loess Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data .......................................................................................... 54 Lower Thick Loess Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data .......................................................................................... 55 Upper Thin Loess Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data ........................................................................................... 56 Lower Thin Loess Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data ............................................................................................ 57 Black Prairie Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data .................................................................................................... 58 Upper Coastal Plain Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data ........................................................................................ 59 Lower Coastal Plain Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data ......................................................................................... 60 Coastal Flatwoods Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data ........................................................................................... 61 Interior Flatwoods Soil Resource Area Summary of DMAP Data ............................................................................................ 62 Citations ......................................................................................................................................................................... 63-65 Enforcement of Deer-related Citations .................................................................................................................................... 63 Citations Summary by County ...........................................................................................................................................64-65 Hunting Incident/Accident Summary ........................................................................................................................... 66-67 2015–2016 Research Project Summaries ..................................................................................................................... 69-73 Phone Survey Data ........................................................................................................................................................ 75-78 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 79-80 2015–2016 Mississippi Deer Program Report iii Acknowledgements umerous people are responsible for the information present- The Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks and the Mis- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ned in this report. The vision and work of Mississippi Game sissippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) and Fish Commission patriarchs like Fannye Cook and Bill Tur- Executive Committee is to be commended for the foresight and cotte initiated plans in the 1930s that ultimately provided Mis- vision to allow the Wildlife Bureau the ability to assemble a sissippi Sportsmen with the deer population we enjoy today. team of dedicated biologists. Leaf River Refuge Manager Quinton Breland, Upper Sardis Ref- Mississippi landowners have made deer in the Magnolia State uge Manager Garald Mize and other dedicated Commission a reality. Without landowner desire to have deer, most agency employees protected, trapped, and relocated hundreds of deer efforts would have proved ineffective. Those of us who hunt, throughout the state