A cooperative program involving sportsmen and Mississippi Game and Fish personnel was developed to monitor herd health of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on private lands in Mississippi. Organized hunting clubs and private landowners collected biological data which were analyzed by wildlife biologists. Based on this information, antlerless harvest strategies were developed to accomplish specified management objectives. The system was tested in Kemper and Noxubee Counties, Mississippi, during the 1977-78 season and was evaluated by participants and agency personnel. The program not only provides a means of gathering extensive biological data but also affords opportunities to educate sportsmen through direct observation and by working with professional biologists.
