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Turkey hunters traveling to Mississippi in 2022 should be aware of changes on public lands during the spring season’s opening two weeks. Nonresident hunters are now required to obtain a special, no-cost Public Land Endorsement in addition to other regularly required licenses when hunting any open public lands between March 15 – 28. The new endorsement will be allotted via a special drawing. Prospective hunters can apply between January 15 – February 15 on the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ website. Once the application period closes, a drawing will be conducted and winners will be notified by email.
With its abundant public lands and one of the nation’s earliest opening days, Mississippi has long been a popular destination for travelling hunters seeking to kickoff spring turkey season prior to its arrival in their home states. However, non-resident license sales have doubled in the past three years, with the majority of the out-of-state interest concentrated during the season’s opening weeks. This increased demand, coupled with mounting concerns about the wellbeing of turkey populations, led Mississippi’s Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to set forth the new license endorsement as a way of managing pressure on a limited wildlife resource.
The public land license endorsement requirement is not applicable to nonresidents hunting on private lands, nor to those visiting Mississippi’s public lands after March 28th. Hunters desiring to hunt Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) with an existing permit-only season from March 15 – 28 will still have to apply to those specific WMAs separately through the traditional process shared by residents.
For frequently asked questions, click here.
For more information regarding hunting or fishing in Mississippi, or to comment on proposed rules, visit www.mdwfp.com or call at (601) 432-2400. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWFPonline.
Below is the 2022 Spring Turkey Season
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2022 Spring Turkey Hunting Seasons & Bag Limits |
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SEASON |
DATES |
BAG LIMIT |
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Youth (Private and authorized state and federal |
March 8 – 14 |
See Spring season for bag limit. |
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Spring (Nonresidents subject to special regulations, see below) |
March 15 – May 1 |
One (1) adult gobbler or 1 gobbler with a 6-inch or longer beard per day, 3 per Spring season. Hunters 15 years of age and younger may harvest 1 gobbler of choice (any age) per day, 3 per spring season. |
Between March 15-28, all non-residents must be drawn before hunting public lands.
See www.mdwfp.com for application dates and information.
