‘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.’

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.”

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Mississippi rises in number of collisions involving deer

Annual reports from State Farm Insurance seem to support that. Each year, the company ranks states according to the number of auto claims related to animals. In 2016-2017 Mississippi ranked No. 12 in the nation for the most claims. That translated to one in 95 drivers filing a claim related to animals.

In 2020-2021 Mississippi’s ranking rose to No. 7 with one in 57 drivers filing a claim. In the 2023-2024 report Mississippi was No. 6 in the nation and one in 65 drivers filed a claim and according to State Farm, deer are the No. 1 animal involved in those claims.

For perspective on Mississippi’s latest ranking, the national average for hitting an animal is one in 128.

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Are deer numbers high everywhere in Mississippi?

The current population estimate of deer in Mississippi is 1.6 million. That’s up from the 2012 estimate of 1.5 million and 1.4 million in 2018.

However, the population estimate is statewide, so some areas will be higher than others. Walsh said if hunters aren’t sure about their deer numbers or if the population has exceeded the property’s capacity to maintain a healthy population, MDWFP can help.

“We’ll be glad to visit with them and discuss it and look at the land,” Walsh said. “That’s why we’re here. We’re glad to look at those situations.”

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How you can help reduce the deer population

• Harvest one deer more than you normally do, but don’t exceed the bag limit
• Take a kid hunting
• Target does
• Spend more time hunting
• Report deer harvests
• Have deer tested for CWD

What are the benefits of reducing Mississippi’s deer population?

It would seem that more deer would mean better hunting, but that is not exactly the case. Chronic wasting disease is present in Mississippi and it is always fatal for deer. It is spread by direct and indirect contact between deer. By reducing the density of deer, the spread of the disease can be slowed.

Lower deer density can also produce healthier deer in general and bigger bucks because there is more food available to them. An extreme example of that is the 2019 South Delta flood that killed thousands of deer and other wildlife. However, those deer that survived had more food resources than before the flood and deer weights went up in following years.

“I don’t think I saw a buck harvested under 200 pounds in some of those areas,” Walsh said. “They had lots of resources. Why? There were fewer deer on the landscape.”

Do you have more deer meat than you can use? Donate some

Many hunters tend only to harvest as many deer as they can eat. So, if you harvest more than that this year, consider donating some to Hunter’s Harvest. It’s a program that distributes venison to families in need in Mississippi through churches and other organizations. Here are the processors where meat can be donated.

• Thrasher’s Taxidermy and Deer Processing – Corinth, Alcorn County
• Rut’n & Cut’n Deer Processing – Crystal Springs, Copiah County
• Old River Road Deer Processing – Petal, Forrest County
• Strick’s Deer Processing – Hattiesburg, Forrest County
• D’Wayne’s Deer Processing – Holcolm, Grenada County
• Stacie’s Deer Processing – Utica, Hinds County
• The Meat Hook – Laurel, Hinds County
• Jack’s Seafood – Lamar County
• Sherman Deer Processing – Lena, Leake County
• Boyd Deer Processing – Ruth, Lincoln County
• Diamond J Meat Market & Deer Processing – Brookhaven, Lincoln County
• Knight’s Deer Processing and Meat Market LLC – Brookhaven, Lincoln County
• Buck Shop II – Canton, Madison County
• The Buck Shop – Flora, Madison County
• Sansing Meat Service – Maben, Oktibbeha County
• Buck Shot Custom Processing – Pontotoc, Pontotoc County
• Brister’s Taxidermy & Deer Processing – McComb, Pike County
• MaxMan Deer Processing – Senatobia, Tate County
• Oaks Deer Processing – Coldwater, Tate County
• Backwoods Wild Game Processing – Tylertown, Walthall County
• Dave’s Custom Meats – Vicksburg, Warren County
• Moore’s Deer Processing – Vicksburg, Warren County
• Milner’s Deer Processing – Yazoo City, Yazoo County
• Rack Shack Outdoors – Benton, Yazoo County
• Red Antler Processing – Yazoo City, Yazoo County
• Van’s Deer Processing – Brandon, Rankin County
• The Skinnin Shed – Meadville, Forrest County

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbrom@gannett.com.