Mississippi Wildlife Federation

02/05/2026

Benefits of an electronic game check program:

🦌 More accurate harvest data for better wildlife management

📊 Real time, county-level data

💰 Cuts back on physical check stations saving taxpayer money

📱 Online and mobile apps are convenient for hunters

🧬 Helps with monitoring impact of disease

⚖️ Data can be shared with the public to show transparency in decision making

02/05/2026

February is prime otter time. Cold weather doesn’t bother them at all, and they’re extra playful—sliding down muddy banks like it’s an otter water park.

02/02/2026

01/28/2026

They’re not native—but now they’re everywhere. Coyotes weren’t originally part of Mississippi’s wildlife. They moved in during the mid-1900s after wolves were wiped out and forests were cleared. Today, they’re found in all 82 counties.

01/25/2026

“The good that men do will live long after they are gone.” – Fox Haas.

It is with heavy hearts that we share that our beloved Mr. Fox has flown up to his heavenly roost. Mr. Fox passed peacefully in his home, with his wife Evelyn and three children, Shurley, Toxey and Nina, by his side. His house was full of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren until the day he died, and through his bedroom window, turkeys and deer still passed through his backyard hardwoods.

While we continue to find the words to honor his incredible life and legacy, for now, we remember the words of Mr. Fox:

“I believe it’s important to take care of the things we love. My friends ask me what a man my age is doing planting hardwoods. I believe the good that men do will live long after they’re gone.”

In the form of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, through Mossy Oak, around West Point, in the woods and in the hunting world, the good he did will live long after he’s gone.

"Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches… the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work." Psalm 104:12-13

01/24/2026

The Mississippi Legislative Session is now underway, with numerous bills introduced in both the House and Senate. We are closely monitoring several pieces of legislation that may be of interest. To better understand the perspectives of sportsmen and women across Mississippi, we have created an anonymous poll. We encourage you to take a few minutes to complete it so we can accurately share this feedback with our State Representatives, https://mswildlife.org/camo-coalition-2/

01/22/2026

During the winter some Mississippi turtles can breathe through their butts. The river cooter become less active and stay underwater. They can absorb small amounts of oxygen through a special area near their tail (called cloacal respiration), which helps them survive for long periods without coming up for air.

01/21/2026

We have our eye on a few bills proposed in the MS House and Senate. We are conducting a poll to see the public's opinion on them. Click on the link to take the poll,

The Camo Coalition monitors legislation and regulatory proposals within the state that could benefit or harm natural resource conservation here at home. We gather information on the wildlife bills proposed by the House and Senate, and allow the public to vote in support or opposition to the bills. W...

01/20/2026

01/15/2026

Good information about prescribe burns.

🔥 Prescribed Burning: A Vital Tool to Keep Wildlife Habitat Healthy 🔥

It’s Fire Season — although one could argue anytime should be Fire Season — and that means it’s time to think about one of the most important tools we have for healthy wildlife habitat: prescribed burning.

Prescribed fire is the controlled use of fire by trained professionals under specific weather conditions to restore and maintain natural habitats — the way nature intended.

Why fire matters for wildlife:

☀️ Opens the Canopy:
Once an area’s tree canopy is opened, sunlight can reach the forest floor. This triggers growth of native grasses, forbs, and other understory plants — providing both nutritious food and protective cover for wildlife.

🌱 Sets Back Succession & Controls Midstory:
Left unchecked, forests naturally fill in with shrubs and midstory trees, shading out the plants many wildlife species need. Prescribed fire resets this process, keeping the understory open and productive for deer, quail, turkey, and other animals.

🌾 Encourages Beneficial Plants:
Fire stimulates the germination of forbs and grasses that many wildlife species rely on for both food and cover.

🦌 Improves Forage Quality:
Fire triggers new, tender plant growth and woody sprouts that white-tailed deer and other herbivores love to eat.

🔥 Reduces Wildfire Risk:
By removing accumulated brush and fuel (leaves, pine needles, dead branches), prescribed burning lowers the chance of catastrophic wildfires that could destroy wildlife habitat.

Let’s keep our forests and fields thriving — and our wildlife flourishing — one burn at a time!

01/13/2026

SO 3447

01/08/2026

As water temperatures drop below about 50–55°F, blue crabs become much less active. Blue crabs enter a state similar to torpor, where metabolism slows dramatically, and they bury themselves in the sand.