Featured

Deer Hunting

In Southeast Mississippi, deer hunters remain stuck in a rut

January 31, 2013 Bobby Cleveland

While most deer hunters have already put their guns and bows away for the season, or will after today’s final day in the Hill and Delta zones, those in the southeast corner of Mississippi remain in a rut.

Make that, The Rut.

“It’s true that down here in the southeasternmost part of the state the primary reproductive period for deer is much later than the rest of Mississippi,” said Justin Thayer, the region’s deer biologist for the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We have such a large geographical difference between north and south that we see a large variance in the rut. […]

Events & Announcements

Changes proposed for Sardis crappie size and creel limits

January 22, 2013 Bobby Cleveland

Crappie fishermen at one of Mississippi’s best perch-jerking holes would be able to take home a higher percentage of the crappie they catch, but they won’t be able to take home as many each day under a regulation change proposed last week by state wildlife officials.

The size limit at Sardis Reservoir will drop from a 12-inch minimum to a 10-inch minimum, but the daily limit will be reduced from 20 per person per day to 15 per person. The boat limit, with three or more anglers, will fall from 50 per day to 40 per day. […]

Deer of the Year

Yazoo County 11-point falls on Christmas Eve

January 8, 2013 M.A. Fisher

Emily Howard is an avid hunter, so she was a bit concerned in early December when she found that her old hunting rifle had a bad scope and a few other problems. So, Howard bought herself an early Christmas present – a .243 Ruger with a brand new scope.

The self-gifting paid off on Christmas Eve when Howard used the rifle to down an 11-point monster buck near Vaughan in Yazoo County. The buck had a green score of 152 and featured not only a kicker, but a non-typical drop tine. The inside spread measured 19 3/8 inches and had a base of 6 inches. The mighty buck weighed in at a whopping 245 pounds and was estimated to be 5 ½ years old […]

Featured

Davis Lake crappie overpopulated, need thinning out

December 20, 2012 Bobby Cleveland

Crappie continue to dominate the statewide fishing report, with quality slabs coming from the oxbows like Eagle, Chotard and Ferguson lakes, but there’s a lake in Northeast Mississippi that is producing better quantity.

But as good as the bite is, Davis Lake is not getting great reviews.

An anonymous writer to MS-Sportsman.com this week was concerned about the overall condition of the crappie fishery at the 200-acre lake operated by the U.S. Forest Service. His e-mail: […]

Featured

Giant California yellowfin tuna battle for world record

December 13, 2012 Jerry Dilsaver

Two huge yellowfin tuna – the two biggest ever – have been caught in the past couple of months, but only one is being considered for a new world record. John Petruescu caught a 445-pound yellowfin just before sunrise on Dec. 9 while fishing on the Excel, a long-range charterboat out of San Diego, Calif., Although his fish surpassed the existing world record by a full 40 pounds, it was will not be considered as a possible world record because the boat’s captain grabbed the fishing rod twice during the fight, disqualifying it under the rules of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). […]

Events & Announcements

December magazine almost complete

November 13, 2012 Mississippi Sportsman

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we know the hunting camp is calling. That’s why the Mississippi Sportsman staff is preparing to finish up the December issue this afternoon (Nov. 13) so it can get shipped to subscribers and newsstands across the state next week.

Find out how to use rub activity to your advantage during the rut. And see why a group of young hunters don’t mind donning waders and trudging through water to shoot public-land ducks. […]