Bill > HB828

This bill, known as the Mississippi Fair Chase Act, establishes new regulations for hunting and trapping in Mississippi. It makes it unlawful to hunt, trap, or take any game or furbearing animal that is damaging crops or personal property without first obtaining a "depredation permit," which is a special permit to address animal damage, in addition to a valid hunting license. The bill also mandates that hunting with dogs is only permitted on private property that consists of at least two thousand contiguous acres. Furthermore, it amends existing law to clarify that the commission can issue permits to kill animals injurious to agricultural interests, except for protected migratory birds, and allows for the killing of certain birds like blackbirds and starlings without a permit when they are damaging trees or crops. The bill also brings forward existing provisions regarding the regulation of nuisance animals, allowing landowners and their designees to take predatory and nuisance animals year-round with various methods, but it introduces a new restriction on hunting with dogs, limiting it to large contiguous private properties.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB0828.xml