Why It Matters: There was no shortage of legislation impacting hunters and anglers in the Magnolia State during the 2025 legislative session. Everything from protecting conservation funding from free and discounted hunting and fishing licenses, creating a new wild turkey stamp, ensuring that poachers pay restitution back to the state for illegally taking wild game held in the public trust, harvest reporting of white-tailed deer, and more were on the docket. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), along with the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) and our partners, worked diligently to advocate on behalf of sportsmen and women as well as science-based wildlife management.
Highlights:
- HB 1103, introduced by Caucus Co-Chair and National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses Executive Council Member Representative Scott Bounds, would have required the state to reimburse the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks for revenue lost due to the passage and creation of free and discounted hunting and fishing licenses.
- HB 816, introduced by Caucus Member Representative Ken Morgan, would have required the MDWFP to develop electronic reporting of whitetail deer harvested by hunters.
- HB 1637, introduced by Caucus Member Representative Bill Kinkade, ensures that fines and penalties for poaching violations will now go back to conservation funding in Mississippi, upholding the Public Trust Doctrine.
- SB 2280, introduced by Caucus Member Senator Ben Suber, will generate an additional ~$2 million in annual conservation funding for wild turkey management in Mississippi.
Hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, and trapping make up so much of the cultural and economic fabric of the Magnolia State, and the abundant opportunities for sportsmen and women attract folks from all over the country to come and experience all that Mississippi has to offer. The Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus recognizes the importance of our shared outdoor heritage and remains in the fight to ensure the future of these activities for generations to come.
In an attempt to benefit conservation funding efforts, CSF worked alongside the Caucus to introduce HB 1103, as well as build a coalition of partners to support the effort. The primary focus of this legislation was to protect MDWFP’s revenue from bills that provide free or discounted hunting and fishing licenses to certain segments of the population. While these bills are oftentimes well-intended, they can cause significant funding issues for state fish and wildlife agencies and thus negatively impact the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding. Last year alone in Mississippi, sportsmen and women contributed over $40 million through this System, which includes the purchasing of hunting and fishing licenses. The passage of this bill would have put Mississippi in line with several nearby states, such as Tennessee and Louisiana, where the State General Fund must reimburse the agency for revenue lost due to the passage of free and discounted licenses.
One of the key tenets of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is to make management decisions based on the best available science. Mississippi is the only state in the United States which does not require harvest reporting of white-tailed deer. Therefore, the MDWFP does not have access to the best available data to ensure data to support management decisions that could positively impact the resource and future hunting opportunities. HB 816 would have brought Mississippi in line with other states and provided the department with an additional tool in the management toolbox.
While HB 1103 and HB 816 did not make it entirely through the legislative process this year, the sportsmen’s community did see a couple of notable wins.
HB 1637 reverses a previous piece of legislation that required poaching offenders to pay restitution to the private landowner in which the offender illegally killed a game animal, which went entirely against the Public Trust Doctrine. Wildlife is owned by the state, not the landowner, and restitution paid by offenders should go back into the management of the resource, which is exactly what the passage of HB 1637 will now do.
Lastly, with concerns over turkey populations dropping across the southeastern U.S., many states are taking proactive measures to ensure the overall success of their turkeys. SB 2280 created the wild turkey stamp that ensures dedicated funding for the management of wild turkeys in Mississippi. It’s estimated that approximately $2 million dollars will be generated through this new program.
CSF was proud to work alongside the MDWFP, the Caucus, and our partners to support all of these efforts and we look forward to building off this progress in future years to protect and advance Mississippi’s sporting traditions for generations to come.
Related Policy
Summary Revenue from sporting licenses is a crucial element for funding state fish and wildlife...