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JACKSON — According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Game Check, 278 deer were harvested over the weekend during Mississippi’s inaugural Velvet Season. Hunters have five days after harvest to submit samples to be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease.

To date, 13 samples have been submitted for Chronic Wasting Disease testing. Velvet season was created to give hunters an opportunity to hunt, harvest a buck in velvet and aid the MDWFP in mandatory collection of CWD samples.

Since 2018, 127 deer have tested positive for CWD in Mississippi. Hunter harvest samples are a tool which helps the MDWFP detect the disease and determine its prevalence in a population in order to manage the disease.

Did you harvest a buck in velvet or this weekend? We would love to tell your story. Submit photos and contact information to hunter.cloud@dailyleader.com.