- Residents of Mississippi between the ages of 16 and 64 must obtain a hunting license to catch game unless they are hunting on their private property. Visitors age 17 years and older are also required to obtain a license before they hunt game in the state. If you have been declared totally disabled by the Social Security Administration and fit into health categories such as multiple amputee, blind or paraplegic, you are not required to get a hunting license. Instead you must carry a copy of your official physical disability status with you while you hunt. A $2,000 fine or/and a one year imprisonment can be assessed to every person who obtains a license unlawfully.
- Beaver, bobcat, fox, raccoon and opossum can only be hunted legally at night. You do not have to use a light or dog to hunt these animals at night. Resident game must be hunted a half-hour before sunrise and a half-hour after sunset. Handguns or rifles that use .22 or less standard rimfire cartridges or shotguns with a shot equal to No. 6 or less are legally permitted weapons to be used during these times. Deer hunters using primitive firearms can hunt with a .38 caliber or larger single or double-barreled rifle. Predatory animals shall only be hunted during open seasons unless you are hunting them on your own or a designated agent's private property.
- Avoid hunting or shooting across public thoroughfares, streets, roads or highways. You should also keep licensed ammunition and weapons properly concealed while you travel on public roadways and across railroad tracks. Hunters shall not seek game from a motorized automobile or boat. The one exception is that squirrel and game birds are permitted to be hunted from a boat if the motor is off and the boat is not progressing.
- Run dogs through turkey hunting areas only after turkey season has ended except within permitted enclosures. You can use dogs to hunt deer after archery, primitive weapon and still hunting seasons are over. Contact the Department of Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to request and complete a dog field trail application. Hunting dogs can enter upcoming field trials 14 days before the start of the trial. The trials are an excellent way to keep your hunting dog active and sharp during hunting offseasons.
- Bag limits for antlered deer is set at one buck per day and three buck per license year. You can bag as many as one antlerless deer per day and a maximum of five antlerless deer per license year. Wear fluorescent orange material during open gun season. At no time are you permitted to shoot or kill spotted fawns. A fine of up to $5,000 and five days in jail can be assessed if you hunt for deer using lighting equipment. You will also lose your hunting, fishing and trapping licenses for up to three years if you are convicted of using lighting equipment to hunt deer.
