In preparation for the upcoming deer hunting season, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System is hosting an “Intense Deer Management Workshop” for BlackBelt area landowners on Friday, Aug. 18, at the Blackbelt Regional Research and Extension Center in Marion Junction. The program is sponsored by the Perry County Natural Resources Council.

The 6-hour workshop will be split into multiple session addressing topics that range from habitat management to data interpretation.

According to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, “data collection is an extremely important part of any deer management program and should be the primary item affecting deer management decisions.”

Deer hunting is a popular form of entertainment and business in the state of Alabama.

“This is for the BlackBelt area hunters who might be interested in an intense white-tail deer workshop,” regional extension agent John Ollison said. “It’s going to be talking about habitat management, habitat improvement and how the camera studies interpret data.”

Ollison’s field of work is in forestry, wildlife and  natural resources.

According to the ADCNR statistics, 82,486 deer were harvested and reported in the 2016-2017 season. There were 2,498 reported from Dallas County alone for the 2016-2017 season. The most of any other county where the reported location was known.

Ollison says that the hunters who attend the workshop will learn how to tend to the environment so that the deer population can remain strong and healthy.

“Hopefully, the hunters will be able to make better decisions on selecting deer to harvest,” he said.

This seminar will feature several speakers such as Ollison; Chris Cook, ADCNR Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division; Tim Albritton, NRCS Auburn; Will Gulsby, School of Forestry and Wildlife Services, Auburn University; Chris Jaworowski, regional extension agent, ACES; Jeremy Ferguson, AU Deer Lab, School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University; and Mark Smith, ACES, School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University.

The registration fee is $20 and must be paid in advance due to limited seating.

Attendees should RSVP before the 4:30 p.m. deadline on Wednesday, Aug. 16, so plans can be arranged for lunch.

Contact the Perry County Extensions office at (334) 683-6888, or John Ollison at (205) 459-2133 for more information.