Hunting Rules and Regulations

All persons born on or after January 1, 1972, must satisfactorily complete a hunter education course approved by the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks before purchasing a Mississippi hunting license. If it is determined that the holder was not entitled to issuance or obtained the license or hunter education certificate by fraudulent means, the license will be revoked or canceled. It is unlawful to issue a hunting license to any person in this age group without proof of completion of the hunter education course. [MS. Code 49-7-20]

Learn more about finding and completing a hunter education course.

Residents who are visually impaired, paraplegic, a multiple-amputee, adjudged totally disabled by the Social Security Administration or totally service-connected disabled by the Veterans Administration are not required to purchase a hunting or fishing license. [MS. Code 49-7-5 and 49-7-9]

Residents exempt based on this criteria are required to have proof of their age, residency, disability status, or other physical impairment in their possession while engaged in hunting and fishing activities. All exempt licenses previously issued for disabilities are null and void.

Any person who obtains a license under an assumed name or makes a materially false statement to obtain a license is guilty of a felony and shall be subject to a fine of two thousand dollars ($2,000) or may be imprisoned for a term of one (1) year or both.

Weapons legal for use during the Primitive Weapons season are all archery equipment and primitive firearms. "Primitive firearms", for the purpose of hunting deer, are defined as single or double-barreled muzzleloading rifles of at least .38 caliber; or single shot, breech loading, metallic cartridge rifles (.35 caliber or larger) and replicas, reproductions, or reproductions of those type rifles with an exposed hammer; or single or double-barreled muzzleloading shotguns, with single ball or slug.

All muzzleloading primitive firearms must use black powder or a black powder substitute with percussion caps, #209 shotgun primers, or flintlock ignition. "Black powder substitute" is defined as a substance designed, manufactured, and specifically intended to be used as a propellant in muzzleloading or other black powder firearms, excluding modern smokeless powder. Metallic cartridges may be loaded with either black powder or modern smokeless powder (cartridges purchased at sporting goods stores).

Telescopic sights are allowed while hunting with any primitive firearm during the primitive weapon seasons.

During any open season on deer with primitive weapons after November 30, a person may use any legal weapon of choice on private lands only, if the person is the title owner of the land, the lessee of the hunting rights on the land, a member of a hunting club leasing the hunting rights on the land, or a guest of a person specified above. If the person is required to have a hunting license, the person must have a primitive weapon license, Sportsman's License, or a Lifetime Sportsman's License.

It is illegal to hunt or trap any wild animal or wild bird with the aid of bait. Liquid scents may be used. Electrically operated calling or sound-reproducing devices may be used for hunting nuisance animals and crow only.

Hunting turkey with dogs is prohibited. During the spring turkey season, it is illegal to run dogs in areas where the turkey season is open, except in permitted enclosures. Dogs are not allowed for hunting deer during archery season, primitive weapons season, or still hunting season. Application for dog field trials must be made to the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks at least 14 days before the opening of the trial.

Antlered Buck Deer

The bag limit on antlered buck deer is one (1) buck per day, not to exceed three (3) per annual season. One of those three may be any antlered deer on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks must meet the antler criteria within the appropriate deer management zone. For youth hunters fifteen (15) years of age and younger, hunting on private land and authorized state and federal lands, all of the three (3) buck bag limit may be any antlered deer.

Antlerless Deer

• Private lands: The bag limit on Northeast, Delta, East Central, and Southwest Zones antlerless deer is five (5) per annual season. The bag limit on Southeast Zone antlerless deer is one (1) per day, two (2) per annual season.
• U.S. Forest Service National Forests: The bag limit is one (1) per day, not to exceed five (5) per annual season except in the Southeast Zone which is two (2) per annual season/one (1) per day. 

Spotted Fawns

Spotted fawns are not to be killed or molested at any time.

All deer hunters must wear, in full view, a minimum of 500 square inches of solid unbroken continuous daylight fluorescent hunter orange material during open gun seasons on deer.

Depredation permits for the killing of deer when they are destroying crops are issued only by a DWFP officer after a supervised approved field inspection.

If a person is convicted of killing any deer out of season, he may be fined not less than $100, and his license may be revoked for a year by the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

Anyone who hunts or kills any deer with any lighting device is subject to a maximum fine of $5,000, five days in jail, and the loss of hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges for three years. This does not apply to a deer killed in an accident with a motor vehicle. Any equipment used to hunt or kill deer at night with a lighting device that is subject to seizure is considered contraband property and will be seized by the enforcement officer. This equipment is subject to forfeiture and may become property of the State of Mississippi.