Wildlife

Our wildlife resources are incredibly valuable to Mississippians. Whether you are a hunter, bird watcher, or just enjoy nature, wildlife touches all of our lives. The benefits we get from wildlife don't come by accident, they are a result of careful planning and management. These pages include information about how you can better manage our wildlife resources. If, after exploring these pages, you still have questions about Mississippi's wildlife, please contact your county extension office.

Publications

Publication Number: IS0642

Identifying Poison Ivy

Publication Number: P3044

EkoKids: Schoolyard Nature Guides

Publication Number: P3199

What You Need to Know about Chronic Wasting Disease in Mississippi Deer

Publication Number: IS1939

Forest Diversity: The Food of Life

Publication Number: P1864

Waterfowl Habitat Management Handbook For the Lower Mississippi River Valley

Several deer enter wooded cover area as four deer follow in single file across a gravel road with a corn field behind them on a foggy, early morning.

CWD management calls for ‘all hands on deck’

November 16, 2018 - Filed Under: Chronic Wasting Disease, White-Tailed Deer

Hunters play a large role in helping to manage Mississippi’s deer population. Hunters not only help control deer numbers but also provide statewide harvest data that gives biologists insight into deer numbers, health and conditioning.

As we enter the first deer hunting season since the confirmation of chronic wasting disease -- or CWD -- in the state, we need assistance from Mississippi deer hunters more than ever.

A thin, eight-point buck stands beside a wall with drool coming from his mouth.

Chronic Wasting Disease: What You Need to Know

November 13, 2018 - Filed Under: Chronic Wasting Disease

Hunting is a Big Deal in our family, and the news in mid-October that a second deer in Mississippi had tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, was met with dismay. (Photo by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism/Michael Hopper)

Man walks beside his bird dog on point in a pasture with a hay barn in the background.

State’s rural lands offer hidden values

November 9, 2018 - Filed Under: Farming, Rural Development, Wildlife, Wildlife Economics and Enterprises

Mississippi is fortunate to have thousands of acres that are poetically "unpeopled and still." Those portions of our state are prime locations for people who want to escape urban stress and are willing to pay top dollar for the opportunity.

Preschool boy places a dead tree branch on a pile of limbs and leaves located beside an old, wooden privacy fence.

Create brush piles for wildlife habitat

November 2, 2018 - Filed Under: Wildlife

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Instead of contributing to landfills or creating more work for waste management employees, consider piling up fallen branches, sticks and leaves to make a backyard wildlife shelter.

As winter approaches, it is a good time to begin preparing backyards to serve as wildlife-friendly reprieves from the cold weather.

A close-up of a trail camera’s display window as it is being programmed.

How to Use Trail Cameras for Backyard Wildlife

October 30, 2018 - Filed Under: Urban and Backyard Wildlife

Trail cameras aren’t just for hunters. They can be great additions to the backyard if you enjoy observing visiting wildlife. Trail cameras also capture what happens while you’re at work, school, or asleep. (Photo by Jonathan Parrish/Cindy Callahan)

Going Hog Wild

Nuisance Wildlife and Damage Management, Operation HOG
Volume 3 Number 3

Trevor Garrett stays busy. He divides his days between farming soybeans with his father, Johnnie Ferrell Garrett, and working as a research associate at Mississippi State University's Pontotoc Ridge–Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station.