Mississippi · Rabbit · 2026–27 Edition
Mississippi Rabbit Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbit | Statewide | Oct 17 – Feb 28 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 8 |
|---|---|
| Possession | None published — MDWFP prints no possession column for small game at all (its Migratory Game Birds table right below does have one), so no possession limit is set for rabbit |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (October 17, 2026) 06:34 — 18:52
Rule: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset — MDWFP states this once as the rule for resident game, which covers rabbit. Mississippi's MIGRATORY birds run a different rule (half an hour before sunrise to sunset), so the two do not share hours. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Mississippi sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Rabbit hunters in Mississippi need a Mississippi hunting license.
Mississippi hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Mississippi — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does rabbit season start in Mississippi?
The 2026–27 opener is October 17, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does rabbit season end in Mississippi?
The 2026–27 closing date is February 28, 2027.
Is there a closed season on rabbit in Mississippi?
Yes — see the dates above. Outside that window, taking rabbit is closed in Mississippi.
How many rabbits can you shoot in Mississippi per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily — 8. Possession — None published — MDWFP prints no possession column for small game at all (its Migratory Game Birds table right below does have one), so no possession limit is set for rabbit. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting rabbit in Mississippi?
On opening day (October 17, 2026) legal light runs 06:34 to 18:52. The rule is: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset — MDWFP states this once as the rule for resident game, which covers rabbit. Mississippi's MIGRATORY birds run a different rule (half an hour before sunrise to sunset), so the two do not share hours. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Mississippi sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt rabbits 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 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Official MDWFP seasons-and-bag-limits page, fetched directly. The page itself is headed '2026-2027 Seasons' and lists 'Rabbit | Oct. 17-Feb. 28 | 8' (daily bag). No possession limit or rabbit-specific shooting-hours statement appears anywhere on the page — the only shooting-hours language on the page is scoped explicitly to migratory game birds, not rabbit — so both are treated as genuine gaps rather than inferred values; confirm directly with MDWFP before relying on either. No zone/region split is listed for rabbit — the season applies statewide. UPDATE 2026-08-27: the possession field is now an answer rather than a question. MDWFP's Small Game table carries exactly two data columns, Season Dates and Daily Bag Limit - there is no possession column at all. The Migratory Game Birds table printed immediately below it on the same page does have one. That contrast within a single document is the evidence: Mississippi sets no possession limit for small game, so nothing is missing here.