MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Each year some 300,000 Mississippi hunters take to the woods in search of white-tailed deer. Before opening day, landowners and hunters spend hours preparing their properties and equipment for the hunting season.

A workshop sponsored by Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and Forest and Wildlife Research Center, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is giving landowners an opportunity to become better prepared for this fall activity.

Managing White-Tailed Deer in Mississippi will be offered in two locations to teach landowners and managers the basics of deer biology and management.

A July 11 workshop is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Chickasaw County Civic Center. An August 15 workshop will be held at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson. The $50 cost includes lunch and educational materials.

Topics include factors that influence antler size, doe and buck harvest management, deer nutrition basics, forest habitat management, and old field and pasture management.

Biologists and Extension personnel will discuss food plot management, supplemental feeding, how to conduct a camera survey and the statewide antler regulation criteria. The workshop offers four and a half hours of continuing forest education credits, category one.

Seating is limited and registration is required. Register by June 25 to attend the July 11 workshop, and by July 31 to attend the August 15 workshop.

Contact Scott Messina at (662) 325-3174 for more information. Send checks or money orders made payable to Mississippi State University to Messina at Box 9690, Mississippi State, MS 39762.

Contact: Scott Messina, (662) 325-3174