The National Forests in Mississippi, an extension of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is implementing an order to improve hunting safety for all forest visitors.
In addition to improving safety, the order also serves to align hunting rules on federal land within the Magnolia State with Mississippi’s hunting regulations.
Measures included in the order are:
- Prohibiting the possession or consumption of an alcoholic beverage while in possession of any weapon
- Prohibiting hunting hogs without wearing a minimum of 500 square inches of solid unbroken fluorescent orange during hunting season, and prohibiting hunting quail or rabbits without wearing a solid hunter orange vest or cap (Existing Mississippi law requires hunters to wear hunter orange while hunting deer)
- Prohibiting the shooting of any projectile across the exterior forest boundary lines
- Prohibiting the possession or transportation of an uncased shoulder-fired weapon in a motor vehicle
- Prohibiting the possession of a loaded shoulder-fired weapon within 100 feet of the center line of any designated road
“These actions will help provide all forest visitors with a safer experience in the forest. Hunters should be familiar with these requirements. They mirror existing regulations on state Wildlife Management Areas,” National Forests in Mississippi Forest Supervisor Shannon Kelardy said.
The full order can be read here.
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