Discover Why the Mississippi Deer Population Is Exploding Right Now

The deer population in Mississippi exploded in 2023! Hunters are finding more and more deer during their hunts. It has caused state officials to get involved in taking a look at what is going on. It is estimated there are some 1.5 million deer, according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. 

A wildlife expert commented in the newscasting, as seen at the bottom of this blog post, that the lack of vegetation in the woods, with the increase in the deer population, is putting the deer’s health at risk because there is less food out there for them. 

“Since there are more deer out there than there have been, there is less food for each individual to get to. That’s why we’re encouraging hunters to take an extra deer this season on their bag limit,” William McKinley, the wildlife department’s deer program coordinator, told WAPTV-TV. “Licensed hunters last season took 270,000 deer, but that still wasn’t quite enough to keep that herd from regrowing this year.”

How Popular Is Deer Hunting?

Before properly diving into the answer to this question, we need to understand the deer more to appreciate who these beautiful animals are. 

Deers (Odocoileus virginiana) Facts

Deers (Odocoileus virginiana) of the family Cervidae are mammals that house 43 different species. Their weight, mating habits, how they live, and forage can change from species to species. The below information is a generalization of all deers.

These mammals can grow to full maturity by weighing between 22-990 pounds (10-450 kilograms). They can reach heights of 24-206 inches (60-105 centimeters.) 

As you probably assumed from the above section, deers are herbivores, which means that they only eat plant matter and not meat. They will forage for food such as acorns, fruit, grass, lichen, mushrooms, and herbs. 

Being able to catch a deer is a prize that most hunters pride themselves on. According to the National Deer Association, “Nearly eight of every 10 hunters identifies as a deer hunter, as 79% of American hunters pursue deer.” They further state that there are estimated to be 11 million deer hunters in the United States alone. 

“McKinley said deer hunting brings in about $1 billion a year for the state of Mississippi.” And so for the state of Mississippi, not only is hunting deer the norm, but it is needful for this state to flourish as it has been. 

Check Out The Incredible Video Below!