As much as 70 percent of Mississippi’s harvested antlered deer are 3 ½ years old or older. (Photo by Honeycutt Creative)
October 10, 2024
By Josh Honeycutt
This whitetail hunting forecast for the state of Mississippi is part of Game & Fish’s “Great States" project identifying the best deer-hunting states in the country. Read more: America's Top Whitetail States The Reasons Mississippi Hunters Should Be Happy Mississippi deer hunters have a lot going for them. The whitetail herd is strong, with about 1.5-1.6 million deer, providing plenty of hunting opportunities for the 160,000 deer hunters hitting the woods each fall.
Mississippi is tied for 13th (with North Carolina) in Game & Fish ’s "America’s Top Whitetail States” rankings, with a high annual harvest average comparable to the nation’s top states in that category.
Plus, according to the National Deer Association, Mississippi has one of the best deer harvests of mature bucks. Reports say that 70 percent of harvested antlered deer are 3 ½ years old or older. That’s incredible and far better than even some of the best Midwestern states. That translates to a great buck age structure and opportunities at older bucks with bigger racks.
Did You Know? Mississippi’s five-year deer harvest average is 261,006 whitetails. Furthermore, Mississippi is a diverse hunting state, ranging from swamplands to river bottoms to pristine ag country. You might even find a rolling hill here and there. All said, it’s a great place to hunt whitetails.
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It doesn’t come without drawbacks, though. CWD is here, and it’s spreading. Recently, the CWD Management Zone expanded to cover even more counties. Fortunately, EHD doesn’t hit hard here, given that Southern states seem to have more natural immunities to the disease.
On an interesting note, Mississippi did start a velvet hunting season in 2022. Since then, the three-day, antlered-only hunt (which only occurs on private lands) has been considered a success.
That’s a Fact : The statewide bag limit on antlered buck deer is one buck per day and three per season. Learn more . Another interesting note is how widespread rut dates are from county to county. The rut usually kicks off in December for northwestern counties, and slowly pushes southeastward; near the Gulf of Mexico, the rut doesn’t occur until February.
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Mississippi’s Deer Program Coordinator William McKinley expects a great 2024 deer season. While a colder-than-average winter reduced spring whitetail body weights, the herd is still in good condition. Hunters should see a great fall and winter harvest.
Get more info: Buy your hunting licenses, deer permits, etc. here . Check out the 2024 deer season dates here .
