The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is urging hunters to have their deer tested for chronic wasting disease and to make it more convenient, changes have been made in locations where freezers are located to drop off deer heads.
“Mostly, we added some,” said Russ Walsh, MDWFP Wildlife chief of staff. “We added 12.
“We have 63 locations. We moved some around. Some were just not getting many heads so we moved them to more convenient locations.”
Walsh said not only is testing important in CWD management zones, but also in deer management units where the disease has not been detected.
“Detecting it early is critical,” Walsh said. “When we detect it early we can enact management actions to keep prevalence low.”
Hunters should keep heads refrigerated or frozen before dropping them off and should leave 6 inches of neck attached to the heads. Antlers may be removed before depositing heads in freezers. All freezers may be accessed 24 hours a day.
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Hunters may also have their deer tested by choosing a taxidermist who is participating in the CWD testing effort.
Where to drop off deer heads for CWD testing in Mississippi
Adams County – Natchez State Park, 230-B Wickcliff Road, NatchezAlcorn County – MSU Extension Office, 2200 Old Hwy 45 South, Corinth
Attala County – Yockanookany WMA, 28329 MS Hwy 12, McCool
Benton County – Benton County 911 Dispatch, 368 Ripley Ave., Ashland
Bolivar County, Dahomey NWR, 831 MS 446, Boyle
Carroll County – Carroll County Sherriff’s Dept., 105c East Washington Street, Carrollton
Chickasaw County – Chickasaw WMA, 770 Hwy 32 Ext., Houston
Choctaw County – Choctaw WMA, 2121 Webster Road, Ackerman
Claiborne County – Canemount WMA, 17059 Rodney Road, Port Gibson
Claiborne County – All Creatures Veterinary Hospital, 1011 St. Mark Drive, Port Gibson
Clarke County – MSU Extension Office, 101 Westwood Ave., Quitman
Copiah County – MSU Extension Office, 2040 West Gallman Road, Hazlehurst
Covington County – MSU Extension Office, 68 Collins Industrial Park Drive, Collins
DeSoto County – Love VFD 7345 Hwy 51 South, Hernando
Franklin County – US Forest Service Office (Bude), 3085 U.S. 98, Meadville
George County – MSU Extension Office, 7128 Hwy 198 East, Lucedale
Grenada County -Malmaison WMA, 126 Malmaison HQ Road, Holcomb
Grenada County – MS Forestry Commission, 1801 U.S. 51 South, GrenadaHancock County – Bay St. Louis FD Station 2, 9998 MS 603, Bay St. Louis
Hinds County – LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, 3315 Lakeland Terrace, JacksonHolmes County – Holmes County State Park, 5369 State Park Road, Durant
Issaquena County – Mahannah WMA, 1370 Anderson-Tully Road, Redwood
Issaquena County – Valley Park Community Center, 64 Kelso Road, Valley Park
Itawamba County – Fulton Fire Department, 604 South Adams Street, Fulton
Jackson County -Lower Pascagoula WMA, 1600 Ward Bayou Road, Vancleave
Jefferson Davis County – Jeff Davis Lake, 16 Lake Drive, Prentiss
Jones County – Bogue Homa Lake, 149 Bogue Homa Lake Road, Laurel
Lafayette County – Fire Station 1, 401 McElroy Drive, Oxford
Lamar County – Purvis VFD, 805 Main Street, Purvis MS
Lauderdale County – Collinsville VFD, 11710 Nancy Drive, Collinsville
Lawrence County – MSU Extension Office, 214 Main Street, Monticello
Lee County – Trace State Park, 2139 Faulkner Road, Tupelo
LeFlore County – Fire Department 4, 308 MS Hwy 7 North, GreenwoodLowndes County – Black Prairie WMA, 744 Fire Tower Road, CrawfordMadison County – Pearl River WMA, 506 Hwy 43 South, Canton
Marion County – MSU Extension Office, 1060 Hwy 13 South, Columbia
Marshall County – Wall Doxey State Park, 3946 MS Hwy 7, Holly Springs
Marshall County – Mt. Pleasant VFD, 194 Mt. Pleasant Road, Red Banks
Neshoba County – Fire Station 3, 257 Gum Street, Philadelphia
Noxubee County – USDA Service Center, 48 Millers Chapel Church Road, MaconOktibbeha County – Trim Cane WMA, 2025 North Jackson St., Starkville
Panola County – Panola County EMS, 100 MSG William J. Ferrell Drive, SardisPearl River County – Pearl River County Fairgrounds, Hwy 26 West, Poplarville
Pike County – Pike County Cooperative, 105 Nehi Road, McComb
Pontotoc County – Pontotoc Agri-Center, 430 C.J. Hardin Jr. Drive, Pontotoc
Prentiss County – Prentiss County Agri-Center, 2301 North 2nd Street, Booneville
Quitman County – O’Keefe WMA, O’Keefe Road, Lambert
Scott County – Caney Creek WMA, 6373 West Moore Tower Road, ForestSimpson County – MSU Extension Office, 2785 Simpson Hwy 49, Mendenhall
Sunflower County – Deviney WMA, 171 Hughes-Ertle Road, Indianola
Tallahatchie County – North Region Office, 457 CR 36, Enid
Tippah County – Walnut VFD, 660 Main Street, Walnut
Tishomingo County – Tishomingo County Fairgrounds, 108 CR 107, Iuka
Tishomingo County – Burnsville/ Yellow Creek Boat Ramp, Frontage Road (Hwy 72), Burnsville
Union County – New Albany Fairgrounds, 112 Fairgrounds Circle, New Albany
Union County – Hell Creek WMA, 4120 CR 825, Myrtle
Walthall County – MS State Dept. of Health, 903 Union Road, Tylertown
Warren County – Phil Bryant WMA, 11641 Hwy 465, Vicksburg
Warren County – Communication Specialist, 760 Hwy 61 North, Vicksburg
Webster County – American Legion Building, 8243 Hwy 9, Eupora
Wilkinson County – Wilkinson County Sheriff, 1389 U.S. Hwy 61 South, Woodville
Yalobusha County – MDOT Maintenance HQ, 32950 Hwy 32, Tillatoba
Yazoo County – District 3 VFD, 171 Old Benton Road, Yazoo City
Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or [email protected].