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Mississippi Senate Bill 2506 would create an early season, archery-only antlered deer hunt in Mississippi.
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Why Support Mississippi Senate Bill 2506?
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Support SB2506
Please consider joining the NDA in supporting Mississippi Senate Bill 2506. SB2506 expands hunting opportunities for Mississippi hunters, is not expected to impact overall deer harvest, and will provide the MDWFP the opportunity to collect important information from reported deer. Use the form below to ask your lawmakers to support SB2506.
Mississippi Senate Bill 2506 (SB2506) would create an early season, archery-only antlered deer hunt in Mississippi. Specifically, the bill establishes a 3-day season defined by the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday between September 10th and 20th for legal bucks by traditional archery or crossbow only. The season would be open on private and wildlife management area lands, and mandatory reporting would be required for any animal harvested during this season. The bill recently passed the Senate and is in Committee in the House.
SB2506 expands hunting opportunities for Mississippi hunters, is not expected to impact overall deer harvest, and will provide the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) the opportunity to collect important information from reported deer, including samples for chronic wasting disease (CWD) monitoring.
The National Deer Association (NDA) outlines hunter recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) as a critical focus area. A major influence on R3 efforts is hunting opportunity, and the NDA greatly supports the expansion of hunting opportunities that positively impact a deer management program and help recruit and retain more hunters. Early-season opportunities generally bring favorable weather, which should encourage more and/or new archers to head afield. Similarly, the opportunity for MDWFP to collect information from animals harvested during the 3-day season will positively impact Mississippi’s deer management program. The NDA also outlines deer diseases as a critical focus area, and CWD is a top priority. The mandatory reporting during the 3-day season provides MDWFP an excellent opportunity to surveil and monitor for CWD.