HomeWHENWhen Does Deer Season Start In Ms

When Does Deer Season Start In Ms

The 2023-2024 Mississippi deer season kicks off statewide on Friday, September 15, for the archery velvet buck season. After that the seasons vary based on which zone you’re hunting.

This article highlights the dates for archery, primitive weapons and firearms deer seasons, legal buck requirements, antlered and antlerless deer bag limits, and deer check-in procedures.

2023-2024 Mississippi Deer Season Dates

As seen in the map below, Mississippi is divided into four deer units — Delta, North Central, Hills, and Southeast. Each has it’s own season dates and harvest regulations.

Velvet Buck Season

Statewide
* Legal buck only. Special permit, mandatory reporting and CWD sampling required. Private land only.

Archery Season

Delta, North Central, and Hills UnitsSoutheast Unit
* Either-sex on private land and open public land.

Youth Gun Season

Delta, North Central, and Hills UnitsSoutheast Unit
* Either-sex on private lands and authorized state and federal lands.** Either-sex on private lands. On open public lands, youth must follow legal deer criteria.

Primitive Weapon

Delta, North Central, and Hills UnitsSoutheast Unit
* Antlerless deer only on private lands.** Either-sex on private land and open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.

Gun (with dogs)

Delta, North Central, and Hills UnitsSoutheast Unit
* Either-sex on private land (and Holly Springs NF). Legal bucks only on open public land.

Gun (without dogs)

Delta, North Central, and Hills UnitsSoutheast Unit
* Either-sex on private land (and Holly Springs NF). Legal bucks only on open public land.

Archery/Primitive Weapons

Delta, North Central, and Hills UnitsSoutheast Unit
* Either-sex on private land (and Holly Springs NF). Legal bucks only on open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.** Legal bucks only on private and open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.

Mississippi Deer Unit Map

Legal Bucks

Bag Limits

Antlered Deer

Delta, Hills and Southeast Units: One buck per day and three per season. One of the three may have hardened antlers that do not meet the unit’s legal antler requirements on private land and Holly Springs National Forest.

North Central Unit: One buck per day and four per season. No antler restrictions apply to this unit. All four bucks may have any sized hardened antlers.

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Antlerless Deer

An antlerless deer is any male or female deer that doesn’t have hardened antler above the natural hairline.

Delta and Hills Units: The annual bag limit is five antlerless deer. There is no daily bag limit.

North Central Unit: The annual bag limit on private lands is 10 antlerless deer. There is no daily bag limit.

Southeast Unit: The annual bag limit is two antlerless deer. Only one may be harvested per day.

U.S. Forest Service Lands: One antlerless deer per day, not to exceed five per season, except in the Southeast Unit where the limit is two per season.

Deer Check-In Procedures

While not required by law, successful deer hunters should report their harvests through the state’s White-tailed Deer Game Check system. It helps the MDWFP track harvest information on a county-by-county basis so they can make better management decisions for the state’s deer herd.

You can check your harvested deer on the MDWFP app or on their website.

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