Today is the BIG day in Mississippi for NR hunters

[TurkeyReaper69]

Raised non-resident 3-day and 7-day hunting license fees from $125 to $150
-Raised non-resident spring turkey permit fees from $20 to $50

Just like SC. Only increases the NR cost to hunt. At least SC reduced the NR bag limit by 1. Mississippi didn't even do that. Neither state raised resident costs or reduced resident bag limits. Resident hunters take a hell of a lot more birds than NR's do.
So the message to be taken from both states is that they really don't give a damn about increasing turkey numbers, they just want to appease the resident hunters by padding the state coffers from the wallets of NR's. How unfortunate for the turkey populations.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

Considering most NR leave the state empty handed I feel as if it's somewhat unnecessary. Only 40% kill one bird on public, and I believe less than 1% of NR kill their limit on public. I'm all for it, but kudos to the MDWFP for getting something done. Baby steps... hope we can accomplish more in the coming years.

[J-Shaped]

I'm glad to see some changes being made. I believe a physical tagging system should be the next step

I agree, feeders should be outlawed during turkey season also.

Feeders should be outlawed altogether, period. If you can't kill a deer in the state of Mississippi without the help of supplemental feed, you outta take up another hobby. Anecdotal I know, but a lot of turkeys are killed in the early season that have been patterned to corn, by people who otherwise wouldn't even kill a turkey. Why the state allows it, especially in the North zone, with the spread of CWD imminent, is beyond me.

Somehow it's become the new normal.

You are correct, except the first case of cwd was found in the central part of Ms.

Correct, but prevalence along the TN border is, in my opinion, grossly understated by MDWFP simply due to differences in testing availability like TN has done. Either way, I don't understand why on one hand the state wants to curb disease in wildlife yet continues to turn a blind eye to feeding corn. Guess everybody needs it to get pics of their "Hit List" bucks.

[joey46]

Raised non-resident 3-day and 7-day hunting license fees from $125 to $150
-Raised non-resident spring turkey permit fees from $20 to $50

Just like SC. Only increases the NR cost to hunt. At least SC reduced the NR bag limit by 1. Mississippi didn't even do that. Neither state raised resident costs or reduced resident bag limits. Resident hunters take a hell of a lot more birds than NR's do.
So the message to be taken from both states is that they really don't give a damn about increasing turkey numbers, they just want to appease the resident hunters by padding the state coffers from the wallets of NR's. How unfortunate for the turkey populations.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

Always has been and always will be since there is a big political element involved most everywhere.  Watch and see Florida do nothing in the next few years.  I still remember my first trip to Big Cypress when I camped at Bear Island and had the only Florida license plate in the camp.  A one bird non-resident limit in Florida is a no brainer.  Won't happen.

[TurkeyReaper69]

Raised non-resident 3-day and 7-day hunting license fees from $125 to $150
-Raised non-resident spring turkey permit fees from $20 to $50

Just like SC. Only increases the NR cost to hunt. At least SC reduced the NR bag limit by 1. Mississippi didn't even do that. Neither state raised resident costs or reduced resident bag limits. Resident hunters take a hell of a lot more birds than NR's do.
So the message to be taken from both states is that they really don't give a damn about increasing turkey numbers, they just want to appease the resident hunters by padding the state coffers from the wallets of NR's. How unfortunate for the turkey populations.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

Always has been and always will be since there is a big political element involved most everywhere.  Watch and see Florida do nothing in the next few years.  I still remember my first trip to Big Cypress when I camped at Bear Island and had the only Florida license plate in the camp.  A one bird non-resident limit in Florida is a no brainer.  Won't happen.

Native Floridian here, just like I said about MS I don't think a non rez one bird limit would do anything in FL. sure I know FEC gets more NR apps than the other SFL WMAs. But realistically speaking how many non res are going into Corbett or BC and killing a bird not to mention two. Sure the pan handle any other  CFL non quota areas would probably benefit from a one bird non rez limit. But no way the state would do such a thing. I'm willing to bet my life savings 99.5% of NR who kill 2 birds in FL are with an outfitter or own property. What we need is caps on NR license sales and draws for all public land.

[Old Gobbler]

Bump on this ....how did the Mississippi season go for you guys with all these new  regulations ?

[3seasons]

I personally saw no difference in the number of vehicles that I usually see in the area that I hunt. 7-8 vehicles per mile of access road pretty much every morning for the first week.  It is what it is and you just roll with it. 

[roberthyman14]

Raised non-resident 3-day and 7-day hunting license fees from $125 to $150
-Raised non-resident spring turkey permit fees from $20 to $50

Just like SC. Only increases the NR cost to hunt. At least SC reduced the NR bag limit by 1. Mississippi didn't even do that. Neither state raised resident costs or reduced resident bag limits. Resident hunters take a hell of a lot more birds than NR's do.
So the message to be taken from both states is that they really don't give a damn about increasing turkey numbers, they just want to appease the resident hunters by padding the state coffers from the wallets of NR's. How unfortunate for the turkey populations.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

Always has been and always will be since there is a big political element involved most everywhere.  Watch and see Florida do nothing in the next few years.  I still remember my first trip to Big Cypress when I camped at Bear Island and had the only Florida license plate in the camp.  A one bird non-resident limit in Florida is a no brainer.  Won't happen.

Native Floridian here, just like I said about MS I don't think a non rez one bird limit would do anything in FL. sure I know FEC gets more NR apps than the other SFL WMAs. But realistically speaking how many non res are going into Corbett or BC and killing a bird not to mention two. Sure the pan handle any other  CFL non quota areas would probably benefit from a one bird non rez limit. But no way the state would do such a thing. I'm willing to bet my life savings 99.5% of NR who kill 2 birds in FL are with an outfitter or own property. What we need is caps on NR license sales and draws for all public land.

Florida will do nothing to help anything.  Everything is about money.  They need to charge non residents $500 for turkey permit and $300 for hunting license.  Living in the panhandle, 1st week of this season we had a ton of Alabama tags here.  I talked to a few different groups and they all came from north Alabama. 

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[Howie g]

Bump on this ....how did the Mississippi season go for you guys with all these new  regulations ?

I drive through n f almost daily . I saw just as many n r lic plates as in the past .

[RutnNStrutn]

Always has been and always will be since there is a big political element involved most everywhere.  Watch and see Florida do nothing in the next few years.  I still remember my first trip to Big Cypress when I camped at Bear Island and had the only Florida license plate in the camp.  A one bird non-resident limit in Florida is a no brainer.  Won't happen.

Tell me about it. FWC is pressured by charter boat captains, fishing guides, marina owners and hotel owners, along with Osceola guides to not change anything for non-residents. Meanwhile, other states stick it up NR's keister's. Florida, instead caves to pressure and NR's hunt and fish for not much more than residents do. I'm glad I don't live there anymore. For many reasons!!

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[Stoeger_bird]

Some areas appeared to had no change in  NR pressure while some had a noticeable change in pressure for the good.

[jbrown]

Very well put rutnstrutn! Nothing done to help Turkey population's!!! I think to help out Turkey's, all non residents need to hunt their own states!! I don't know about other states, but Georgia's Turkey population is way down and has been in serious trouble for at least the last 5 years

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

I didn't get drawn for any areas I put in for. Plenty of out of stater's did. All about the money just like the alligator system. Thankfully I have private land leases to hunt.

[deadbuck]

Bump on this ....how did the Mississippi season go for you guys with all these new  regulations ?

The public I have hunted the past 14 years did see a drastic reduction in NR plates, but still too many resident total hunters for the population of birds available. I hunted public exclusively first 2 weeks of season and had 0 encounters with a bird and 0 gobbles heard. Swapped over to private land and killed birds on back to back to back hunts and was done. The damage has been done to the gobbler populations on public where I hunt the past 2 years and it may never be the same. May as well give out unlimited free NR tags here as their is no more damage to be done.

[turkey_slayer]

Bump on this ....how did the Mississippi season go for you guys with all these new  regulations ?

The public I have hunted the past 14 years did see a drastic reduction in NR plates, but still too many resident total hunters for the population of birds available. I hunted public exclusively first 2 weeks of season and had 0 encounters with a bird and 0 gobbles heard. Swapped over to private land and killed birds on back to back to back hunts and was done. The damage has been done to the gobbler populations on public where I hunt the past 2 years and it may never be the same. May as well give out unlimited free NR tags here as their is no more damage to be done.

Yeah hunters (deer, turkey, duck, it don't matter) like to blame non residents but in the grand scheme NRs are a very small percentage and have less impact than locals. There's just too many dang hunters nowadays to spread the wealth. Gotta love social media

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[MShillhunter]

Talked to a few Oosers that allegedly didn't know about the draw. 


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