JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – During the 2022 Legislative Session, Mississippi lawmakers passed House Bill 1035, which established a velvet buck season in Mississippi.
In order to participate in the 2022 season, hunters will be required to obtain a special Velvet Season Permit. The permits will be available for purchase on August 1 anywhere you can purchase a hunting and fishing license.
The cost of the permit is $10.00 for residents. For non-residents, the permit will be included in your $50.00 deer permit.
The velvet buck season will be from September 16 to 18 on private lands only. Leaders with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) said only legal bucks for the respective Deer Management Unit may be harvested.
Hunters may only use longbows, recurves, compound bows and crossbows. There is no minimum or maximum draw weight, and there is no minimum length arrow.
According to MDWFP, the bag limit is one legal buck, which will count towards your annual antlered deer bag limit. Hunters are also required to report their harvest by 10:00 p.m. the day of harvest. Hunters can report on the MDWFP Smartphone App or MDWFP web portal.
All harvested bucks must be submitted for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) sampling to a MDWPF CWD Drop-off freezer or to a MDWFP participating taxidermist within five days of harvest.
