Mississippi Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Mississippi hunting license costs $25 for a resident adult and $300 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-12).
Mississippi bundles fishing into its cheapest resident hunting license by default, but non-residents pay for hunting and fishing as entirely separate products, so the headline numbers aren't directly comparable across residency without reading the fine print.
- Non-resident 7-day All Game Hunting $150
- Sportsman License (all game + fishing + turkey stamp + WMA access), resident $45
Resident figure shown is the All Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing license, which bundles freshwater fishing in with hunting for one price. Non-residents buy hunting and fishing separately, so the $300 non-resident All Game Hunting license does not include fishing. Wild Turkey Stamp ($10 resident/$100 non-resident) and Deer Permit ($10 resident/$100 non-resident) are required add-ons; waterfowl hunters also need a State Waterfowl Stamp and Federal Duck Stamp. The $45 Sportsman License bundles all game, fishing, turkey stamp, WMA access and saltwater privileges for residents. Anyone born on or after Jan 1, 1972 must complete hunter education.
Fee last verified 2026-09-12.
Heading out for Mississippi hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What a Mississippi hunting license costs
Residents pay $25 for the All Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing license, which covers both activities in one purchase. Non-residents pay $300 for the All Game Hunting license alone, which does not include fishing; a 7-day version is $150. On top of either, a Wild Turkey Stamp ($10 resident/$100 non-resident) and Deer Permit ($10 resident/$100 non-resident) are required add-ons, and waterfowl hunters need a State Waterfowl Stamp plus the Federal Duck Stamp. Residents who also want saltwater fishing access and full WMA privileges can instead buy the $45 Sportsman License, which bundles everything.
Who needs a license, and hunter education
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1972 must complete hunter education before hunting in Mississippi, a course covering 10 hours of instruction available free through MDWFP statewide or online for residents 12 and up for a $34.95 fee. Under-16 hunters and landowners hunting their own property are exempt from needing a license.
License year and deadlines
Mississippi's license year runs July 1 through June 30, so licenses bought any time over the summer cover the full fall hunting season through the following spring.
How to buy your Mississippi hunting license
MDWFP's online licensing portal sells every license and stamp in one checkout, and the department's mobile app, phone line (1-800-5GO-HUNT) and roughly 500 agent locations across the state offer the same options in person.
Hunting in Mississippi: what to expect
The Mississippi Delta, the flat, fertile floodplain along the river in the northwest part of the state, is legendary deer and duck country, with flooded green timber and agricultural edges drawing hunters from across the South each winter for the Mississippi Flyway's mallard migration. The state's national forests, Bienville, Homochitto, Holly Springs and others, spread public hunting land through the central and southern regions for deer, turkey and small game away from the Delta's private-land-dominated hunting culture.
Public land and WMAs
Mississippi's Wildlife Management Areas, several dozen scattered across the state and each requiring the separate $15 WMA User Permit for non-Sportsman-License holders, are the backbone of public hunting access, particularly in the Delta where WMAs like Sunflower and Malmaison protect large tracts of bottomland hardwood otherwise locked up in private hunting clubs. National forest land adds a second, less regulated public option for hunters who don't want to draw a WMA permit or navigate a club membership.
How to renew a Mississippi hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Mississippi. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. License year runs July 1 through June 30.
The fastest route is the official Mississippi online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Mississippi fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.