JACKSON – Mississippi’s white-tailed deer gun season opens November 19 and closes December 1. Hunting with dogs is allowed during this season. Legal deer include legal bucks and antlerless deer on private lands and only legal bucks on open public lands. The antlered buck bag limit is one buck per day not to exceed three per annual season. Legal bucks must meet the antler criteria within the appropriate deer management zone. For youth hunters 15 years of age and younger hunting on private land and authorized state and federal lands, all three of the three buck bag limit may be any antlered deer. The antlerless deer bag limit in the Delta and Hill Deer Management Zones is five per annual season. The bag limit for antlerless deer in the Southeast Deer Management Zone and all U.S. Forest Service Lands is one per day not to exceed three per annual season.
Hunters are urged to practice good hunter ethics and follow all safety rules to avoid hunting and firearm-related accidents. When hunting deer during any firearms season for deer, a hunter must wear in full view at least five hundred square inches of solid unbroken fluorescent orange unless hunting in a stand at least twelve feet above ground or in a fully enclosed deer stand or blind. However, hunters must wear hunter orange while traveling to and from their stand.
All persons born on or after January 1, 1972, are required to complete a hunter education course before purchasing a Mississippi hunting license. Each resident of Mississippi age 16 through 64 must obtain a hunting license, except while hunting on lands titled in his/her name. Any resident 65 years old or older or
any resident otherwise exempt from obtaining a hunting license must have documentation with them at all times while hunting. All non-resident hunters, except minors under the age of 16, are required to obtain a hunting license while hunting in Mississippi. In addition to any required hunting license, purchase of a Wildlife Management Area User Permit is required prior to hunting on any Wildlife Management Area.
Hunters can find information about deer hunting, season dates, and hunting regulations at www.mdwfp.com or in the 2016 – 2017 Mississippi Outdoor Digest. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at @MDWFPonline.
