White-Tailed Deer Hunting

Name: eRegulations
Price range: $

Deer Management Unit (DMU) lines are predominately based on soil regions using highways and interstates as dividing boundaries.

Color-coded map of Mississippi showing four hunting regions—Delta, Hills, Southeast, and North Central—used by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks for deer management and hunting regulations. — Mississippi deer management zones map highlighting the Delta, Hills, Southeast, and North Central regions used by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to guide hunting seasons and wildlife management practices.

Deer Management Units

North Central: Private and open public lands in Alcorn, Benton, Desoto, Marshall, Tate, Tippah counties.

Hills: All areas except the Delta, North Central, and Southeast Deer Management Units. OPEN PUBLIC LANDS include National Forests, excluding the Holly Springs National Forest, Corps of Engineers lands, etc., that have statewide seasons without special regulations.

Southeast: Private and open public lands south of U.S. Highway 84 and east of MS Highway 35.

Delta: Private and open public lands west of I-55 and north of I-20 plus areas south of I-20 and west of U.S. Highway 61.

Bag Limits

Antlered Buck Deer

With the exception of the North Central DMU, the statewide bag limit on antlered buck deer is one (1) buck per day and three (3) per annual season. One (1) of these three (3) may have hardened antlers that do not meet the DMU legal antler requirements on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Antlered buck bag limit in the North Central DMU is one (1) buck per day and four (4) per annual season. No antler restrictions apply to this DMU. All four bucks may have any sized hardened antlers. For youth hunters fifteen (15) years of age and younger, hunting on private land and authorized state and federal lands, all three (3) of the three (3) buck bag limit may be any antlered deer.

Antlerless Deer

Private Land: With the exception of the North Central and Southeast DMUs, the statewide annual bag limit on antlerless deer is five (5). The bag limit for private lands in the North Central DMU is ten (10) antlerless deer per season. Antlerless deer are male or female deer which do not have hardened antler above the natural hairline. Only three (3) antlerless deer may be harvested from the Southeast DMU. There is no daily bag limit on antlerless deer; except, only one (1) anterless deer per day may be harvested in the Southeast DMU.

U.S. Forest Service Lands: The bag limit is one (1) per day, not to exceed five (5) per annual season except in the Southeast DMU, which is three (3) per annual season.

Legal Bucks
Deer Management Unit or DMU	Inside Spread	OR	Main Beam
North Central	Any Hardened Antler
Hills	10”	OR	13”
Southeast	10”	OR	13”
Delta	12”	OR	15”

Legal Bucks: Hills and Southeast Deer Management Units

A legal buck is defined as having either a minimum inside spread of 10 inches or one main beam at least 13 inches long.

Illustration showing how to estimate a deer’s antler spread and main beam length for hunting purposes. The left diagram measures a 10-inch spread based on ear-tip distance, and the right diagram shows a 13-inch main beam length when the antler tip aligns with the front of the eye. — Guide for hunters on estimating a deer’s antler spread and main beam length, demonstrating how to visually measure a 10-inch spread between antlers and a 13-inch main beam using reference points on the deer’s head.

Legal Bucks: Delta Deer Management Unit

A legal buck is defined as having either a minimum inside spread of 12 inches or one main beam at least 15 inches long.

Illustration demonstrating how to estimate a 12-inch antler spread and a 15-inch main beam on a buck. The left diagram shows ear-tip measurements used to gauge inside spread, while the right diagram shows how to estimate beam length from the eye to the tip of the nose. — Guide for hunters explaining how to visually estimate a 12-inch antler spread and 15-inch main beam length on a buck using the ears and facial features as reference points to determine if a deer is legal for harvest.

Supplemental Feeding

Supplemental feeding of wildlife is allowed on private land in any county, or portion thereof, not in a CWD Management Zone. The feed may only be provided from above-ground, covered feeders or stationary spin-cast feeders. Any type of feed may be used. Feed may not be poured, piled, or placed directly on the ground. All feed and feeders must be at least 100 yards from the nearest property line. Deer hunters may hunt in the proximity, with no minimum distance from a feeder as described above.

Special Deer Hunts

Special primitive weapons deer hunts are established pursuant to the authority granted the Commission in Sections 49-7-37(2), (3), & (4), Mississippi Code of 1972. All archery and primitive weapons hunters must wear hunter orange or pink while these special hunts are in effect.

Antlerless Primitive Weapons Hunt

This season is for Antlerless Deer Only on private lands. Legal weapons are primitive weapons. This hunt is not on MDWFP Wildlife Management Areas. Refer to Deer Hunting Seasons for the definition of a primitive weapon.

Hunter Orange or Pink

When hunting deer during any firearm season, every hunter, whether hunting with a firearm, bow and arrow, or any weapon, must wear in full view at least five-hundred (500) square inches of solid unbroken fluorescent orange or pink, except as otherwise provided in this section. Mesh-style or orange/pink-camouflage is not considered unbroken and does not count toward the five hundred (500) square inch minimum.

Hunters shall not be required to wear five hundred (500) square inches of solid unbroken fluorescent orange or pink when:

Hunting from a deer stand that is elevated twelve (12) feet or more above the ground; or
Hunting in a fully enclosed blind.

It is the intent of the Commission that “fully enclosed blinds” are tripod type stands, ladder stands, blinds and/or “shooting houses” or any other stand, whether located on the ground or elevated above ground, that can be covered so as to hide the hunter from view of game or other hunters.

Federal Lands–Youth Hunts and Antlerless Harvest

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed lands which designate the youth deer season in their regulations and open U.S. Forest Service National Forest lands are authorized to provide youth hunting opportunities.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Army managed lands are authorized to harvest antlerless deer on days designated by Federal Regulations. Contact local National Wildlife Refuge, Corps of Engineers, or U.S. Army for details.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was discovered in Mississippi in February 2018. Since then, proactive measures have been enacted for continued surveillance and management. Some measures include:

Supplemental feeding of wildlife, including feeders, salt licks, and mineral licks, is banned within any MDWFP-defined CWD Management Zone.
Only meat from cervids (deer, elk, moose, etc.) that has been completely deboned or bone-in quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached, hides with no head attached, finished taxidermy products, antlers with no tissue attached, and cleaned skulls or skull plates may be transported outside the CWD Zones or into Mississippi from any other state or country.
Hunters may only transport a deer head outside of a MDWFP-defined CWD Management Zone to a permitted taxidermist participating in the CWD collection program. A CWD sample number must be obtained from the participating taxidermist prior to transporting the deer head outside of the MDWFP-defined CWD Management Zone. This sample number must accompany the deer head while in transport and be available for inspection by Law Enforcement upon request. The deer head must be delivered to the participating taxidermist within 5 days of receiving the sample number.

MDWFP urges hunters to submit the heads of harvested deer for CWD sampling, especially if the deer was harvested in a CWD Zone.

For more information or to find a CWD drop-off freezer or participating taxidermist, visit the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Chronic Wasting Disease page.