Mississippi Spring Turkey Season Opens March 15th

It’s time for Mississippi’s turkey hunters to practice their yelping and dust off their shotgun, because the spring turkey season will open March 15^th and runs through May 1^st. Opportunities to pursue spring gobblers are plentiful across the Magnolia State, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) is anticipating that hunting success should be good in 2013. “Turkey populations are up across most of the state,” reported Dave Godwin, MDWFP Wild Turkey Program Coordinator. “Much of Mississippi experienced good hatches in 2 of the last 3 years, so hunters should not have any trouble interacting with birds this spring,” continued Godwin.

Bag limits for the spring season are 1 adult gobbler or gobbler with at least a 6-inch beard per day, 3 per spring season. Youth hunters age 15 and under may harvest 1 gobbler of choice per day, 3 per spring season. This season is closed in the following counties or parts thereof:  Coahoma, Quitman, and Sunflower.

To participate in spring turkey season, Mississippi residents, ages sixteen through sixty-four, must obtain a hunting license, except while hunting on lands titled in his/her name. Hunters that wish to hunt on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are urged to check the area-specific regulations before going afield as season dates and bag limits on some WMAs may differ from the statewide framework. Hunters must also purchase a WMA User Permit prior to hunting on any WMA.

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.).