Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
Anybody going?
MS opens tomorrow right?
- Thread starter Boll Weevil
- Start date
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Pulling a 24h shift tomorrow, then I'm off for 4 days and will be in the woods all day those 4 days, although I don't have a lead on a tom yet.
spoon
Well-Known Member
Yes, I'm in Sylvarena about 30 miles south of Forest. It's cold windy. We only heard one bird
Headed down next week for a draw hunt.
Headin out after work tonight, fingers crossed going to be cold but it's clear they should gobble!
I had planned on being there today, but life got in the way.
My son and my cousin are hunting different tracts in MS this morning. My cousin said they gobbled their brains out this morning, but across the road where he can't hunt. My son heard a couple birds on public land that joins the private he's hunting, but non-residents can't hunt public yet. Maybe something turns up for them as the day goes on.
Quite as a mouse where I was and talked to some Other fellas they said the same thing, did callin a lonely hen though
Good luck everyone. Not going to lie I'm a little jealous lol.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Now there's a thought!
Maybe TN should do something like this on state-owned public lands?
1st week for residents only?
Not suggesting this on federally owned lands like LBL or Ft. Campbell.
Southern Sportsman
Well-Known Member
MS implemented this when nearly all surrounding states (GA, AL, TN, AR) pushed their seasons back. MS wanted to keep their 3/15 start date, but there would have been a HUGE influx of out-of-staters like us pounding their public land. With our delayed opener, I don't think this type of limitation is necessary, but I absolutely agree that MS had to do this or delay their season.
Other than South Florida, Mississippi has the earliest opener in the country. You are correct, had MS not implemented this rule they would've been HAMMERED with out of staters.
I don't see how MS is getting away with keeping non-residents off of National Forests and Corp of Engineer land for 2 weeks. Are those not federally funded and paid for by all of us?
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Same way every single state out west does it, but the states out west are FAR more restrictive than MS
MS only limits NR 1st 2 weeks, and only on public land. The NR public land quota is 1000 permits (which are free). They came up with that number, because that was the estimated number of NRs coming in just before covid hit and the travelling turkey hunter explosion.
Again, private land is wide open to nonresidents without limitations as well as all open public lands after the first 2 weeks without limitations.
The change wasn't made to exclude nonresidents, it was made so that those who drew the NR permit would have a better experience hunting public. Without the 1000 NR permit limitation, you would be lucky to find a tree to sit on that didn't have a hunter on it already.
I get all that, but you didn't answer my question. How can a state tell non-residents that they can't hunt federal land that everybody pays for? I get that they can do whatever they want on state owned WMAs, but I'm talking about federal land. I don't really have a dog in the fight. I have numerous private tracts in MS I can hunt and I don't hunt public land anyway, but I just don't see the logic.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
I agree... but its been a longstanding precedent that the huntable animals within a state belong to the state, NOT the federal govt, and as such can be managed however a state sees fit (even on federal land within the state). Anyone can come and hike, camp, birdwatch, whatever on federal lands, but you cannot kill an animal that belongs to the state unless the state authorizes it.
I didn't realize they only allowed 1,000 non-residents. I figured the quota was really high since my buddy and I both drew it.
Because the federal lands go by state statue in most areas
You explained it perfectly. It makes sense but I'm not sure I agree with it.
Now I'm wondering if the state of MS could ban non-resident fishermen from fishing at Sardis (a Corp of Engineers lake) in April during the crappie spawn because the ramps are too crowded if they took a notion.
