The Big Black River mystique

There are a number of factors that make this the most enviable deer-hunting address in the state.

Virtually every state in the nation that offers white-tailed deer hunting has a river system or river basin region associated with its high-quality deer production.

Just consider the Warrior River in Alabama, the Red River in Texas and Oklahoma, the Gasconade River in Missouri, the Rock River in Illinois and the Milk River in Montana. These are legendary buck-producing areas all linked to a river system.

In Mississippi, this whitetail-river basin connection is the Big Black River running from Webster County southwest to Claiborne County, where it eventually flows into the Mississippi River. Along the way the Big Black touches 11 different counties, all of which are top deer-harvest counties. In fact, eight of them are in the Top 12 of all counties according to DMAP data.

Many factors had to come together to make the Big Black River the primary deer-yielding sector in the state. These include the essentials of exceptional genetics that produce healthy bucks with lots of antler bone along with soil compositions that grow high-quality browse. This agronomy is also conducive to supporting superior food plots in addition to the general agricultural practices that contribute to the available food resources as well. The results are that good genes and good dirt produce big bucks, and many of those monsters are allowed to walk, according to the MDWFP’s deer program coordinator, Chad Dacus.

“This area not only has good genetics, soil type and quality habitat, it also has large tracts of privately owned land,” he said. “There is a good amount of agriculture interspersed with the swamps and forest lots.

“These large landowners and clubs allow the bucks to put on age. This is really what separates the Big Black corridor from other parts of the state — the combination of all factors of age, nutrition and genetics to their fullest.”

The genetic factor

“With all the buzz and talk about genetics, it sounds like we know a lot about managing genetics in
free-ranging populations. Deer management really rests on three legs of a stool — age, nutrition and genetics. Genetics is a little bit of a black box. We need more research.”

That remark was made by Randy DeYoung at a deer study group meeting. DeYoung is with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute in Kingsville, Texas. More importantly, DeYoung is a research colleague of Steve Demarais at Mississippi State University.

Both know Mississippi deer and their genetics. Both know the deer in the Big Black River region have the genetics. Truth is deer either have it or they don’t. Big Black River deer apparently have it. That’s a good thing, because little can be done to alter or enhance it.

The take-home message is that under a free-ranging scenario, more improvements are likely to be made to a deer population by placing the most emphasis on the basics of habitat, nutrition and age distribution — things that can be controlled — and less on genetics.

Editor’s note: This article is part of The Big Black River mystique feature in the August issue of Mississippi Sportsman. Digital editions can be downloaded right to your computer or smartphone.

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