Marcus K. Measells

Hunting leases for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) occur across the United States and provide revenue to many landowners, including private forest industry. Hunting quality and revenue could potentially be enhanced through “cooperatives” and adherence to Quality Deer Management (QDM) principles. Formation of hunting club cooperatives (HCC), where adjoining hunting clubs collectively manage the deer herd, may also increase QDM program success and increase stakeholder interaction. We surveyed Mississippi hunters who leased land from Weyerhaeuser Company in 2009 to determine...

License revenues are a substantial component of budgets for state natural resource agencies. Therefore it is important to retain license-paying residents and attract non-residents to maintain a revenue base. We addressed the problem of adjusting hunting and fishing licenses administered by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP). MDWFP provided data revealing total agency revenues generated approximately 40% of its annual budget. In 2004, license revenues alone generated U.S. $14.7 million, 22% of the $68 million annual budget. MDWFP intends to maintain or...

In recent years, conflicting viewpoints on natural resource management in Mississippi have existed between the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) and forest industry. The continuing success of commercial forestry as a leading economic activity in Mississippi depends, in part, on a successful communication and education program by the forestry community (e.g., large private corporations, smaller firms, public agencies and organizations, non-governmental organizations, and universities) targeted to constituency groups such as MDWFP and the general public. Our...