Mississippi · Deer · 2026–27 Edition
Mississippi Deer Season 2026–27: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by method
| Method | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery - CWD Sampling Hunt (one legal buck, special permit required) | Delta, North Central & Hills | Sep 11 – Sep 13 |
| Archery - Either-Sex | Delta, North Central & Hills | Oct 1 – Nov 20 |
| Youth Season (15 and under) | Delta, North Central & Hills | Nov 7 – Jan 31 |
| Antlerless Primitive Weapon | Delta, North Central & Hills | Nov 9 – Nov 20 |
| Gun (With Dogs) | Delta, North Central & Hills | Nov 21 – Dec 1 |
| Primitive Weapon | Delta, North Central & Hills | Dec 2 – Dec 15 |
| Gun (Without Dogs) | Delta, North Central & Hills | Dec 16 – Dec 23 |
| Gun (With Dogs) | Delta, North Central & Hills | Dec 24 – Jan 20 |
| Archery / Primitive Weapon | Delta, North Central & Hills | Jan 21 – Jan 31 |
| Archery - CWD Sampling Hunt (one legal buck, special permit required) | Southeast | Sep 11 – Sep 13 |
| Archery - Either-Sex | Southeast | Oct 15 – Nov 20 |
| Youth Season (15 and under) | Southeast | Nov 7 – Feb 15 |
| Gun (With Dogs) | Southeast | Nov 21 – Dec 1 |
| Primitive Weapon | Southeast | Dec 2 – Dec 15 |
| Gun (Without Dogs) | Southeast | Dec 16 – Dec 23 |
| Gun (With Dogs) | Southeast | Dec 24 – Jan 20 |
| Archery / Primitive Weapon | Southeast | Jan 21 – Feb 15 |
02 — Bag limits
| Antlered buck — Delta, Hills & Southeast | 1 per day, 3 per season. One of the three may be a hardened-antler buck that does not meet the unit's legal-antler requirement, on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Only 1 antlered buck may be taken during the September CWD-sampling season, and it counts toward the season limit. |
|---|---|
| Antlered buck — North Central | 1 per day, 4 per season. No antler restrictions apply — all four may be any size hardened antler. |
| Antlerless — private land | 5 per season statewide, except 10 per season in North Central and only 3 per season in Southeast (1 per day in Southeast; no daily limit elsewhere) |
| Antlerless — U.S. Forest Service national forests | 1 per day, 5 per season, except 3 per season in the Southeast Unit |
| Youth (15 and under) | All 3 (or 4, in North Central) of the season's antlered-buck bag limit may be any antlered deer, on private land and authorized state/federal lands |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 11, 2026) 06:10 — 19:39
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset for resident game, including deer (per MDWFP). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Mississippi sun times for any other date.
04 — License
A Mississippi hunting license and deer permit are required. Costs, age rules and where to buy are on our license page below.
Mississippi hunting license cost & deer permits →
Where to hunt public land in Mississippi — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a property before Mississippi's opener usually means glassing terrain and running a trail camera through the summer and early fall.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does deer season start in Mississippi?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is September 11, 2026 — Archery - CWD Sampling Hunt (one legal buck, special permit required), limited to Delta, North Central & Hills. Other weapons and zones start later — see the table above.
When does deer season end in Mississippi?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is February 15, 2027. Individual methods and zones close on their own dates.
When does bow season start for deer in Mississippi?
Archery - CWD Sampling Hunt (one legal buck, special permit required) opens September 11, 2026 (Delta, North Central & Hills). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
When does rifle season start for deer in Mississippi?
Gun (With Dogs) opens November 21, 2026 (Delta, North Central & Hills). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
How many deer can you shoot in Mississippi?
2026–27 bag limits: Antlered buck — Delta, Hills & Southeast — 1 per day, 3 per season. One of the three may be a hardened-antler buck that does not meet the unit's legal-antler requirement, on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Only 1 antlered buck may be taken during the September CWD-sampling season, and it counts toward the season limit. Antlered buck — North Central — 1 per day, 4 per season. No antler restrictions apply — all four may be any size hardened antler. Antlerless — private land — 5 per season statewide, except 10 per season in North Central and only 3 per season in Southeast (1 per day in Southeast; no daily limit elsewhere). Antlerless — U.S. Forest Service national forests — 1 per day, 5 per season, except 3 per season in the Southeast Unit. Youth (15 and under) — All 3 (or 4, in North Central) of the season's antlered-buck bag limit may be any antlered deer, on private land and authorized state/federal lands. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting deer in Mississippi?
On opening day (September 11, 2026) legal light runs 06:10 to 19:39. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset for resident game, including deer (per MDWFP). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Mississippi sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt deer on my own land in Mississippi without a license?
Mississippi exempts only the resident in whom the land's record title is vested — not their spouse, children, or a tenant. The standard resident license already bundles deer and turkey, so the exemption covers those too, though a separate fall turkey permit may still apply.
Verified · Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks · Last verified 2026-08-11
Publisher's note. Dates from the official '2026-2027 Hunting Seasons' schedule. Mississippi runs four Deer Management Units (Delta, North Central, Hills, Southeast) with different antler restrictions per unit — legal-buck criteria run from a 10-inch inside spread (Hills/Southeast) to any hardened antler at all (North Central, no restriction) — but only two DISTINCT season-date schedules: Delta/North Central/Hills share one table, Southeast runs its own, about two weeks later on archery and two weeks longer at the close (Feb 15 vs Jan 31). The September archery opener (Sept 11-13) is a CWD-sampling-only hunt: one legal buck, special permit and mandatory reporting required, private and authorized public land only — not a general season. 'Youth Season' is printed as a continuous window with changing land-access conditions partway through (private land stays either-sex throughout; open public land requires legal-buck criteria after the first two weeks, and in the Southeast unit again after Feb 1) — reproduced here as the single continuous date range the source prints it as, with the access change noted rather than invented as a second season.