Mississippi’s Special Primitive Weapons Hunt Opens Today

The Special Primitive Weapons season for white-tailed deer will open today in Delta and Hills Deer Management Zones. The Special Primitive Weapons Hunt is for antlerless deer only on private lands and open public lands from November 5 – 16. This hunting opportunity is not available on MDWFP Wildlife Management Areas. This special season is provided to allow hunters additional hunting opportunities to meet antlerless harvest objectives prior to the rut.

The following three deer seasons will be open concurrently from November 5 – 16: archery season, in which archers may harvest legal bucks and antlerless deer; youth gun season, in which youth may harvest bucks and antlerless deer; and the special primitive weapons hunt, in which adults may only harvest antlerless deer.

“Many places in the Hills and Delta zones that we visit exceed their carrying capacity,” said Lann Wilf, Deer Program Biologist for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, “and hunters should make every effort to participate in this hunt and harvest antlerless deer at every legal opportunity.” Wilf says, “Buck quality has the potential to be exceptional this year, so to provide increased buck hunting opportunity and quality during the rut, hunters and landowners should try to meet antlerless harvest objectives early.”

Legal weapons during this hunt are primitive firearms and crossbows. “Primitive Firearms,” for the purpose of hunting deer, are defined as single or double barreled muzzle-loading rifles of at least .38 caliber; OR single shot, breech loading, metallic cartridge rifles (.35 caliber or larger) and replicas, reproductions, or reintroductions of those type rifles with an exposed hammer; or single or double-barreled muzzle-loading shotguns, with single ball or slug. All muzzle-loading Primitive Firearms must use black powder or a black powder substitute with percussion caps, #209 shotgun primers, or flintlock ignition.

Hunters can find information about the 3 Deer Management Zones, season dates, and hunting regulations at www.mdwfp.com/deer or in the 2012-2013 Mississippi Outdoor Digest.

Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), formerly known as the Mississippi Game & Fish Commission, is an agency of the government of the U.S. state ofMississippi responsible for programs protecting Mississippi fish and wildlife resources and their habitats, as well as administering all state parks; it has its headquarters in Jackson. The agency issues hunting and fishing licenses, advises on habitat protection, and sponsors public education programs. It is also responsible for enforcement of Mississippi's fish and game laws. It is separate from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, which is the governing body for the state's natural salt-water resources and law enforcement thereof (i.e. Gulf of Mexico, ocean-going vessels, etc.).