Private Lands Program

Private Lands Wildlife Biologists routinely conduct site visits with individual landowners or lease holders to evaluate their property, assess habitat conditions, and provide support in making management decisions. 

It is often helpful to prepare for your site visit ahead of time so that you can be efficient and organized while in the field. Some important information to have prepared might include the following:

• clear understanding of your goals of ownership
• aerial photography of the property with accurate boundary lines
• harvest data, camera survey data, or other information about animal populations
• maps detailing past management (i.e., prescribed fire units, tree planting, etc.)
• information about existing conservation programs or easements 

Following most site visits, Private Lands Wildlife Biologists will provide a brief written summary of what was discussed with some preliminary recommendations. In some instances, biologists and landowners may desire to develop a detailed management plan.

Private Lands Wildlife Biologists commonly conduct public presentations at wildlife and forestry field days and workshops as well as public events where wildlife management information is relevant. Additionally, Private Lands Wildlife Biologists communicate wildlife management information through articles, videos, podcasts, and more (see content here), often in collaboration with partners.

Private Lands Wildlife Biologists often provide technical guidance for specific habitat management practices, including calibration of no-till seed drills, conventional seeding equipment, pesticide sprayers, prescribed burning, tree and shrub planting, management of moist-soil vegetation, and establishment of supplemental food plantings.

In some instances, landowners and Private Lands Wildlife Biologists may decide it is appropriate to develop a habitat management plan for a specific property during a set period of time, usually five to ten years. Management plans often include a clearly defined list of goals and objectives, detailed site evaluation, and specific prescriptions for management practices with a timeline for completion and maps detailing arrangement of practices. Management plans are labor intensive and should only be perused in instances where the long-term goals and objectives of the property are completely clear and unlikely to change significantly over the course of the plan.

Where forest management is a key component, Private Lands Wildlife Biologists often recommend that landowners contact a Registered Forester, including a private forestry consultant or a Service Forester with the Mississippi Forestry Commission, for more information, especially where timber revenue is a consideration.

Although the MDWFP does not directly subsidize any habitat management practices on private lands, Private Lands Wildlife Biologists often liaise between landowners and multiple organizations to locate sources of funding to help with the costs of managing habitat.

Some common examples of cost-share programs include those provided by 

Fire on the Forty Program

USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Forest Resources Development Program

Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program

For more information about cost share programs contact:

MDWFP Private Lands Program Email: privatelands@wfp.ms.gov

or the District Conservationist for NRCS in your county.

Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP)

The Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) is a comprehensive deer management program consisting of data collection and cooperator education. Cooperators set their own deer management goals and collect biological information. In turn, wildlife biologists analyze the data and provide managers with the information necessary to make informed management decisions. 

Learn more about the Deer Management Assistance Program.

Spring Gobbler Hunter Survey

The Spring Gobbler Hunter Survey (SGHS) was initiated in 1995 as a means of collecting long-term data on turkey activity and populations. The survey's success is dependent on a legion of hunters who are interested in assisting turkey management in Mississippi by voluntarily sharing their experiences afield. From their observations, biologists at the MDWFP gain valuable information on trends in gobbling activity, hunter effort, harvest rates, age structure, and sex ratios.

Learn more about the Spring Gobbler Hunter Survey

Waterfowl Program

The MDWFP Waterfowl Program is dedicated to improving waterfowl habitat and hunting opportunities on public and private lands throughout Mississippi. We offer free technical guidance on private lands for landowners that are interested in help with wetland management and attracting waterfowl. We will provide recommendations on waterfowl habitat improvements, water control, plant identification and control, and even waterfowl hunting management.

Learn more about the Waterfowl Program

Quail Program

Despite the loss of habitat and declining quail populations, local populations can be increased with planned habitat management at proper scales. Abundant quail populations were once a byproduct of agriculture. Today, habitat management practices that produce the proper cover resources required by quail are essential to increase local populations.

Learn more about the Quail Program