OK, so here's a point about what's going on in Mississippi and their wildlife department:

foldemup has a friend who has a place there, says GW-MDWFP vehicles everywhere, shooting deer from roads. People start contacting friends with questions and suppositions - "They're trying to kill all the deer!" ... "What are they doing, they're shooting deer everywhere!" ... "My lease is going to suck because The State is killing all the deer!"

Perhaps MDFWP informed the public. Pehaps not. I haven't seen any press releases or public announcements.

BUT - this is where the Department or any state deparment HAS to get in front of this with public notification, explanations of why they're doing it and for what reasons - sampling for testing - and probably having somone from the department available on the ground to talk with folks.

That's being proactive and showing good PR to explain why, instead of having to be reactive to try to squelch rumors, misinformation, angry calls and emails, and the "I heard they ..." stories that always make the rounds.

Having a plan of action for CWD (or any crisis) should always involve informative public relations with as many answers as possible. Those PR people should be in-house and involved with the planning, discussions, asking hard questions and pushing back against anyone saying "we don't need to discuss that" or "No one would ask that." Sorry, but you plan for all contingencies and hope for the fewest. When a department (in any state) doesn't see it as a big necessity, funding or personnel is cut, there's an attitude of "We'll tell them what they need to know when we decide they need to know it" or perhaps all of that happens, it can be disastrous.

Being proactive and transparent is best. MDFWP has been good with this so far (as was Arkansas, and our own DCNR has been, too), but if they didn't tell folks about this sampling deal then that wasn't smart.