Mississippi Deer Season 2026-27: Gun Opens Nov. 21 by Unit

Delta, North Central and Hills units

Southeast Unit

Dates are for private land and open public land. WMAs and other public lands may have their own rules.

Deer management units

• Delta: west of I-55 and north of I-20, plus south of I-20 and west of US 61.
• North Central: all private and open public lands in Alcorn, Benton, DeSoto, Marshall, Tate and Tippah counties.
• Southeast: south of US 84 and east of MS 35.
• Hills: everything outside the other three units.

Legal bucks by unit

• Hills and Southeast: a 10-inch spread is about where the outside of each beam sits 1 inch inside the ear tips with the ears alert; a 13-inch beam reaches the front of the eye seen from the side.
• Delta: a 12-inch spread is about where the outside of the beams reaches the ear tips; a 15-inch beam ends between the front of the eye and the tip of the nose. Delta deer are larger, so ear tips sit wider.

Bag limits

• Bucks: one a day and three a season. One of the three may have hardened antlers below the unit standard, on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Only one buck may be taken in the September velvet season, and it counts toward the three.
• North Central Unit: one buck a day and four a season, with no antler restrictions.
• Youth 15 and under on private land and authorized state and federal lands may take any antlered deer for all three bucks.
• Antlerless on private land: five a season, no daily limit. North Central: ten a season. Southeast: three a season, one a day.
• National forests: one antlerless deer a day, five a season, or three in the Southeast Unit.

Primitive weapons and weapon of choice

• Legal primitive firearms: single or double-barrel muzzleloading rifles .38 caliber or larger, single-shot breech-loading metallic cartridge rifles .35 caliber or larger with an exposed hammer, and muzzleloading shotguns with a single ball or slug. Scopes of any power are allowed.
• In primitive weapon seasons after Nov. 30, landowners, lessees, hunting club members and their guests may use any legal weapon on private land, with a primitive weapon license or a Sportsman's License.
• The antlerless primitive weapon season, Nov. 9 to 20, is for antlerless deer only on private land, and does not run in the Southeast Unit.
• Gun seasons have no caliber or magazine limits. Archery includes crossbows, with no draw weight minimum.

Youth season

Hunters 15 and under may hunt Nov. 7, 2026 to Nov. 20, 2026 on private lands, authorized state and federal lands and open public lands, either-sex, with any firearm they can safely use. From Nov. 21 to Jan. 31 youth may take either sex on private land and must follow the legal buck rule on open public land. In the Southeast Unit, a youth legal buck season continues Feb. 1 to 15.

Southeast Unit: February bucks

The Southeast Unit opens archery later, on Oct. 15, 2026, and is the only unit with deer hunting in February: legal bucks only, with archery or primitive weapons (or weapon of choice on private land), Feb. 1, 2027 to Feb. 15, 2027. Its antlerless limit is three a season, one a day.

Frequently asked questions

When does gun season open in Mississippi?

Nov. 21, 2026, with dogs, in every deer management unit. Gun hunting without dogs runs Dec. 16 to 23, and the late gun season with dogs runs Dec. 24 to Jan. 20.

When does archery season start in Mississippi?

Oct. 1, 2026 in the Delta, North Central and Hills units and Oct. 15, 2026 in the Southeast Unit. A three-day velvet buck archery season, Sept. 11, 2026 to Sept. 13, 2026, needs a special permit.

How many bucks can you kill in Mississippi?

Three a season, one a day. One of the three may have antlers that do not meet the unit size rule, on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. In the North Central Unit the limit is four, with no antler restrictions.

What is a legal buck in Mississippi?

In the Delta Unit, an inside spread of at least 12 inches or a main beam of at least 15 inches. In the Hills and Southeast units, 10 inches or 13 inches. In the North Central Unit, any hardened antler.

How many does can you kill in Mississippi?

Five antlerless deer a season on private land, with no daily limit, in the Delta and Hills units. The North Central Unit allows ten, and the Southeast Unit three, one a day.

When does deer season end in Mississippi?

Jan. 31, 2027 in the Delta, North Central and Hills units. The Southeast Unit stays open for legal bucks until Feb. 15, 2027.

Deer season in other states

Texas · Pennsylvania · Michigan · Wisconsin · Ohio · Georgia · New York · Missouri · Minnesota · Indiana · Virginia · North Carolina · Kentucky · Tennessee · Alabama · Arkansas · Louisiana. Compare every state on the deer season dates by state page.

Duck seasons are on the Mississippi duck season page.

Always check the MDWFP rules for the WMA or national forest where you hunt.