As the weather cools, the action should heat up for youth hunters and archery hunters this weekend. The low temperatures for this weekend should dip down to around freezing for a large portion of the state. As most Mississippi hunters know, the temperature in this great state plays a major role in deer activity. Some monster bucks have already fallen to some lucky hunters this season, but I expect many more will be harvested in the upcoming weeks.
The upcoming youth season, which starts Saturday on private lands for most of the state, will no doubt play a role in the demise of some bruiser bucks. Since Oct. 1, hunters have been limited to archery equipment only. With the high-powered rifles breaking out this weekend, the statewide deer population is in for a big surprise. Since the inception of the youth weekend, which is now a full week, more and more kids are bringing in wall worthy bucks year after year. With the overall deer herd in great shape, this trend should continue.
The upcoming holiday season will also be detrimental to quite a few wily bucks. The second weekend of gun season is the Thanksgiving weekend. For college students, that means five straight days with the opportunity to use the big gun. For Mississippi State students, we’ll be right back in the action after a quick stint back on campus for final exams. College students have a major advantage over the rest of the hunting population, save for retirees and a few others. The best deer hunting in the state is during our Christmas break. Take advantage of this! Skip the parties and late sleeping and get in the woods!
Now let’s get back to the weather. Mississippi does not get consistently cold weather throughout fall and into the winter. Most big bucks don’t move around much in daylight to start with. They definitely move much less when it is scorching hot and does aren’t in heat yet. Pre-rut activity is starting to pick up, and should really kick in good this weekend with the forecasted temperatures. Saturday might be a wee bit windy for much activity, but Sunday has action written all over it.
If you are not an archery hunter, don’t pass up a grand opportunity this weekend. There are many positives to lending a helping hand on the youth weekend. First, many hunters find it hard to adequately harvest the recommended doe quota on their property. Take a kid. Most kids are delighted to harvest a doe, especially if they have never had the chance to harvest a deer at all. Second, if you haven’t been bow hunting the past several weeks, this would give you an excellent opportunity to do some last minute scouting. Last, and most importantly, it is the unspoken responsibility for adults to get more kids involved in this great sport.
If you don’t already have your hunting license for this season, you can purchase one online at mdwfp.com. The next few weeks should be fun and productive. Be safe, shoot straight and eat great!
Brandon Parker is a senior majoring in communication. He can be reached at
[email protected].