State: MS

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator On July 16, the Commission on Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (Commission) voted 4-0 to table the proposed rule on Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone Delineation. Hunting conservation advocates celebrated the decision as a win in the fight against Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). After CWD was detected…

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator On July 3, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) joined conservation partners to submit a letter to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Commission (Commission) regarding the proposed rule on Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone Delineation. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an always-fatal, neurological disease in cervids that…

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator On June 25, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Governor Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1577 into law. The legislation, sponsored by Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Member Speaker Philip Gunn, authorizes a hunter safety course for students in Grades 7 through 12 that will satisfy the hunter education course requirement…

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator The Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (Commission) held a virtual meeting last month to consider proposed rule changes to the 2020-2021 hunting and fishing seasons.   One of the rule changes being considered would require Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) testing in 24 counties on specified weekends during…

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator  With the widespread impacts of COVID-19, the 2020 regular session of the Mississippi Legislature is currently in recess. In March, the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) hosted the 12th Annual Sportsmen’s Caucus Fish Fry, which provided an opportunity for Caucus members to interact with conservation partners and discuss issues impacting the state’s hunters…

Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator On March 3, the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) hosted their 12th Annual Sportsmen’s Caucus Fish Fry in Jackson. More than 120 people, including more than 35 Caucus members, staff from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), and representatives from sportsmen’s conservation groups and the outdoor…

Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director On February 7, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) welcomed Governor Tate Reeves as the newest member of the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC). Governor Reeves is the 27th member of the GSC, a bipartisan group of governors from across the country dedicated to protecting and advancing hunting, angling, recreational shooting…

By Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director On February 20, the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted their 11th Annual Sportsmen’s Caucus Fish Fry in Jackson.  The annual event, hosted in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), brings together sportsman-legislators, state agency staff, and conservation leaders to celebrate Mississippi’s sportsmen’s heritage and…

By Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks confirmed a second case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which was discovered in Pontotoc County, Mississippi on October 8. Earlier this year, Mississippi became the 25th state to record a positive case of CWD. The location of this most recent deer,…

By Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director Following the recent discovery of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in wild white-tailed deer in Mississippi earlier this year, the leaders of the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus sent a letter to the Mississippi Congressional Delegation in support of the Chronic Wasting Disease Management Act (HR 4454) on April 20. Introduced…

By Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director A resolution supporting federal fishery management reforms benefitting recreational anglers recently passed both legislative chambers in Mississippi. Authored by National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses Executive Council Member Representative Scott Bounds and cosponsored by several members of the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, HCR 82 supports increased access and opportunity for…

By Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director On February 28, the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted the 10th Annual Sportsmen’s Caucus/Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Fish Fry in Jackson. The event was the largest to date with over 100 attendees, including nearly 60 legislators, state agency staff, conservation partners, and other in-state stakeholders, who…