Research hunting pressure on WMAs

Man-use data important resource tool for deer hunters

Hunting pressure is a prime concern of deer hunters looking for a decent buck on public lands.

Too many hunters too often can have an impact on deer hunting, thus it is a good practice to study man-day data on WMAs.

“It can be difficult to determine just how big an issue hunting pressure is,” said Lann Wilf, the north region deer biologist for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “This is why we collect man-day data on our state WMAs. Public land deer hunters need to have a heads up and be prepared to deal with other hunters in the area.”

The popular perception is that public land locations are covered up with hunters. What this usually means is that one or two hunters were in the same general area or maybe a “Johnny on the spot” hunter got to a specific hunting area first. That is going to happen.

“That happens on private leased land clubs, too, which is why I got out of them,” says Kerry French of Ebenezer. “I can hide out on big public lands and never see a hunter all day.”

Understanding man-day data is important. Man-day is defined as a hunter spending a “day” or part of one on hunting on a WMA. When a hunter drives onto a WMA in the Magnolia State they are obligated to fill out a “use card” that is found at the various check-in stations on the wildlife management area.

At the end of the hunt, the hunter is supposed to complete the use card and drop it in the box at the check-in station when they depart the area. The cards record general information on the hunter as well as how long they hunted and if there was a deer harvested.

These cards are collected and information is compiled by the WMA manager, and sent as a report to the MDWFP office in Jackson where at the end of the season it is tallied and analyzed by wildlife specialists for a year-end statewide report. Data then becomes available to regional wildlife deer biologists for study, but the general hunting public can access it as well on line.

Man-day use information is a reflection of the time spent by hunters on a WMA, revealing how much hunting pressure was put on the deer. Every WMA hunter should check this data for the WMAs they hunt to get a read on the hunting popularity of that area.