Mississippi, private property
Dead Deer Removal in Mississippi
No statewide Mississippi source we reviewed says who must deal with a deer that dies on private land, though some city codes put a dead animal on the owner or occupant; check first whether a public route covers it. Before anyone moves it, check whether your county is inside one of MDWFP's 2026-2027 CWD Management Zones; MDWFP's carcass-transport rule is written around those zones, and the pages we reviewed do not say how it applies to a deer found dead.
What do MDWFP's CWD rules say about moving a deer carcass?
MDWFP's rule makes it unlawful to transport any portion of a cervid (deer) carcass outside an MDWFP-defined CWD Management Zone, and to bring carcass parts in from another state (40 Miss. Admin. Code Part 2, Rule 2.7). For 2026-2027 the zones cover all of DeSoto, Alcorn, Benton, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Prentiss, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo and Union counties, parts of Coahoma, Pontotoc, Quitman and Tunica, and two smaller zones: the Issaquena zone and the Harrison zone, which covers west Harrison and east Hancock counties. Check the deer and CWD guide and MDWFP's current map before anyone moves a carcass out of a zone. MDWFP's pages we reviewed do not say how the rule applies to a deer found dead on private property; ask MDWFP at 1-800-BE-SMART.
Source: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, checked 2026-10-05.
Before you call anyone. If the deer is on a road or its shoulder, the road authority comes first: for a state highway, Lafayette County's website points to MDOT at (601) 359-7001, and county roads and city streets belong to the county or city. If the deer was emaciated, lame or immobile, or died with no obvious cause, MDWFP asks for a report through its app, mdwfp.com/cwd or 1-800-BE-SMART.
Cases this page is for
- A deer lying in a yard, a pasture or a wooded lot you own or rent, where it can be reached on foot or with a cart.
- A deer against a fence line, in a drainage swale or under a deck on private property.
- A deer that has started to decompose and can no longer be handled whole by the household.
- A fawn or a smaller deer found in an outbuilding, carport or open garage.
What falls outside it
A deer in the road or on a highway shoulder; start with whoever maintains the road. A deer that is still alive, injured or trapped: that is live-animal work, which this site does not route, and MDWFP issues a separate permit for removing live wildlife. Anything that would require cutting through a finished wall, floor or ceiling. Keeping any part of the animal: on this site nothing is kept, sold or used, and the carcass is removed and taken for disposal.
MDWFP lists the parts of a deer that may leave a CWD Management Zone: deboned meat, bone-in quarters with no part of the spine or head attached, cleaned antlers, skull plates and teeth, hides with no head, and finished taxidermy. A whole carcass is not on that list. In a zone county, check MDWFP's current map before anyone moves a carcass out of the zone.
An adult deer is heavy and awkward to move. Say on the call roughly how big it is and how far it is from where a vehicle can park, because that shapes whether and how it can be collected.
MDWFP's 2026-27 CWD guide gives hunters recommended disposal methods for unwanted deer parts: leave them at the harvest site, double-bag them for an approved lined landfill, or bury them at least 8 feet deep, and do not compost or render them. That guidance is written for harvested deer; the MDWFP pages and guide we reviewed give no separate disposal steps for a deer found dead on private land.
From call to removal
- Call, or send the form, and say what the deer looks like, where it is lying and which town or county you are in.
- Say whether your county is one of the CWD Management Zone counties, if you know.
- Where an independent operator covers your address, it agrees the price and timing with you directly.
- The carcass is removed and taken for disposal. Nothing is kept.
About this animal
Is DeSoto County in a CWD Management Zone?
Yes. For 2026-2027 MDWFP lists all of DeSoto County in the North Mississippi CWD Management Zone, along with Alcorn, Benton, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Prentiss, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo and Union counties and parts of Coahoma, Pontotoc, Quitman and Tunica.
Does MDWFP want to know about a dead deer?
MDWFP asks the public to report deer found emaciated, lame or immobile, or dead with no obvious cause of death. Reports go through the MDWFP app, mdwfp.com/cwd or 1-800-BE-SMART. MDWFP words this as a request.
Can I keep a deer that was hit by a car?
The Mississippi sources we reviewed do not address keeping a road-killed deer, so this site says nothing either way. Ask MDWFP directly. Through this site, nothing from any deer is kept.
How many deer are there in Mississippi?
MDWFP estimates the state's deer population at about 1.75 million.
Where does a removed deer go?
That depends on the county and on what the receiving facility accepts. In a CWD Management Zone county, check MDWFP's current map before anyone moves a carcass out of the zone. The operator confirms the destination for each job.
Where on the property
- In the yardAn animal in the open, the easiest case to reach. Some city routes for homes may cover it, so check yours first.
- Under a house or deckNo city or county page we reviewed mentions collecting from under a structure. If there is an existing way in, a carcass under a house or deck can be removed without cutting.
- Odor, no animal in sightThe smell is there but the animal is not. Where the odor is strongest usually decides whether anything can be done.
Whose job is it? Who picks up dead animals Β· Deer carcass and CWD rules Β· How to dispose of a dead animal
By area: Jackson Β· Madison County Β· DeSoto County Β· Gulfport and Biloxi Β· Hattiesburg