Cliff Covington is a retired Wildlife Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service that continues to pursue his passion of the outdoors. A 1988 graduate of Mississippi State University, Cliff holds both B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science.
An active member of both the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) and the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA), Cliff is a freelance outdoor writer and photographer with hundreds of articles published in numerous outdoor magazines. Cliff has received over 200 communication awards, including the prestigious Mississippi Wildlife Federation Conservation Communicator of the Year Award and the SEOPA Sharon Rushton Excellence in Craft Award. In 1998, Cliff received the title of Mississippi Bowhunter of the Year from the Mississippi Bowhunters Association. Having been named State Communicator of the Year an unprecedented 8 times by the Mississippi Association of County Agricultural Agents, Cliff was also the recipient of the Outstanding Area Extension Agent Award and the 2017 Zacharias MSU Distinguished Staff Award.
Cliff’s personal life also reflects his commitment to the conservation of our natural resources and our hunting heritage. He is a life member of the Quality Deer Management Association, the Mississippi Wildlife Federation, the Mississippi Bowhunters Association, and the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association. In addition, he is a member of Quail Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Farm Bureau. Cliff is also a Licensed Nuisance Alligator Trapping Agent and a veteran Hunter Education Instructor for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Cliff currently serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations including: the Catch-A-Dream Foundation, the Mississippi Wildlife Federation, and the Mississippi Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. He also serves on the committees that created the Magnolia White-tailed Deer Records Program and the Mississippi Quality Deer Management Association.
A native of Brookhaven, Mississippi, Cliff and his wife, Angela, make their home in Vicksburg, Mississippi. In their spare time, they raise commercial beef cattle and grow hardwood timber on their family farm near Port Gibson, Mississippi.
