Mississippi’s deer season could grow by one month. But hunters disagree on if it should
Mississippi’s deer season, including archery, primitive weapon and gun seasons, spans four months, but a state Legislator in the House of Representatives would like to tack on an extra month.
House Bill 1555 was authored by Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, and it calls for extending deer season through Feb. 28. Although Hood did not respond to emails or phone calls to explain the possible change, it’s an idea that is meeting mixed reactions among hunters.
“Oh, my goodness,” said Dana Sanders of Gautier. “I can’t believe that.
“So, we’re going to shoot our deer from Oct. 1 to the end of February? To me, I don’t think that’s biologically cool.”
In Southeast Mississippi where Sanders lives, he thinks the idea isn’t totally bad. Breeding occurs later there than other parts of the state and the season opens and closes two weeks later than other zones to accommodate that.
“It wouldn’t make a difference down here,” Sanders said. “I have friends that hunt down here, and we have bucks chasing does mid-February on into the end of February. It’s different down here.”
Mississippi hunter says deer season is too long already
However, Sanders hunts in Claiborne County and for that area, he said extending the season into February is not a good structure. He said some bucks are already losing antlers by the end of January.
Then there’s the overall length of the season. Mississippi’s is similar to adjoining states such as Louisiana and Alabama, but Sanders does not agree with it.
“I think our season’s too long,” Sanders said. “I just believe our deer are pressured too much. I think we need to take the pressure off our deer and let them do their thing.”
Scott Cannada of Hinds County said he has been closely watching and managing deer for about 30 years and disagrees with the bill as well.
Bucks shedding antlers in January and February in parts of Mississippi
“I think it’s dumb for about two-thirds of the state,” Cannada said. “We, a lot of times, start seeing a few shed bucks in January.”
Cannada said he picked up three shed antlers on Feb. 24 and a set of shed antlers on Feb. 15. When that happens, bucks can be confused with does and mistakenly shot. Cannada said in areas where bucks begin to shed antlers in an open season, some hunters stop hunting early to avoid that mistake.
“Get on up north of (U.S. Highway) 82, they (hunters) about shut down on their own about the 15th of January,” Cannada said. “In the Rosedale, Tunica, area, they start shedding around the 15th of January.”
Hunter welcomes later deer season
Not everyone disagrees with the bill, though. Brandie Thomas of Pontotoc said she would welcome a later season.
“I hope they do,” Thomas said. “I didn’t see a buck chasing does until after the season this year.
“We didn’t see near as many bucks during the season this year that we saw last year during the season. It seems like when we have the warmer weather in the fall, we seem to have a later rut. I have noticed there are more bucks showing up on trail cameras and it appears they’re chasing more now than they were during the season.”
The bill must pass through both the House and Senate before reaching the Governor’s desk for final approval.
