Archery season for deer to open

Archery season for deer will open Oct. 1 in the Delta, Northeast, East Central, and Southwest Zones and Oct. 15 in the Southeast Zone. Longbows, recurves, compound bows, and crossbows are all considered legal archery equipment and can be used during all hunting seasons for deer. There is no minimum or maximum draw weight, no minimum arrow length, and fixed or mechanical broadheads may be used.

Delta Zone: Areas west of I-55 and north of I-20 plus areas south of I-20 and west of U.S. Highway 61.

Northeast Zone: Areas east of I-55 and north of U.S. Highway 82.

East Central Zone: Areas east of I-55, east of U.S. Highway 49, south of U.S. Highway 82, and north of U.S. Highway 84.

Southwest Zone: Areas east of U.S. Highway 61, south of I-20, west of U.S. Highway 49, and west of MS Highway 35.

Southeast Zone: Areas south of U.S. Highway 84 and east of MS Highway 35.

Bag Limits:

Antlered Buck Deer

The bag limit on antlered buck deer is one (1) buck per day, not to exceed three (3) per annual season.

Legal bucks must meet the antler criteria within the appropriate deer management zone. For youth hunters 15 years of age and younger, hunting on private land and authorized state and federal lands, all three of the three buck bag limit may be any antlered deer.

Antlerless Deer

Private Lands: The bag limit on Northeast, Delta, East Central, and Southwest Zones antlerless deer is three per annual season. The bag limit on Southeast Zone antlerless deer is one per day, two per annual season.

U.S. Forest Service National Forests: The bag limit is one per day, not to exceed three per annual season except in the Southeast Zone which is two per annual season.

–Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

Watch for banded doves in your harvest

Hunters should be on the lookout for banded doves in their harvest and report them by calling the phone number listed on the band. Information from band returns is shared with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to estimate trends in dove populations and harvest rates that will aid conservation efforts.

–Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

Beginner’s Corner

Sun angle is important when casting for bass. Topwater plugs usually work good early and late in the day when the sun enters the water at a large angle. In the middle of the day, bass may retreat to deeper water to avoid the sun. Basshave no eyelids to close out the sun.

–Otha Barham