Coyote Hunting Laws in Mississippi: Season, Licenses, and Rules Explained
July 3, 2026
Coyote hunting in Mississippi is about as open as it gets in the United States. The state classifies coyotes as nuisance animals, which means you face far fewer restrictions than you would when pursuing traditional game species. Whether you are a landowner protecting livestock or a predator hunter chasing coyotes year-round, Mississippi gives you broad legal authority to do so.
That said, “few restrictions” does not mean “no restrictions.” Where you hunt, what license you carry, and whether you are the landowner or a designated agent all change what you can and cannot legally do. This guide breaks down every major rule you need to know, drawing directly from Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) regulations.
Is Coyote Hunting Legal in Mississippi?
Yes, coyote hunting is fully legal in Mississippi. Under Miss. Code Ann. § 49-7-1, as amended, the state classifies coyotes as “nuisance” animals, and nuisance animals may be hunted, trapped, taken, killed, chased, or pursued on private lands. This nuisance classification is the foundation of the state’s permissive approach to coyote management.
Beaver, coyotes, nutria, fox, skunk, and wild hogs are classified as nuisance species and can be taken year-round by licensed hunters subject to applicable regulations (see MDWFP Rule 7.1). There is no closed season, no bag limit, and no statewide quota on coyotes. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas offer complete year-round access with minimal restrictions, reflecting the agricultural importance of predator control in these farming-intensive states.
The key distinctions in Mississippi law come down to three factors: whether you are on private or public land, whether you are the landowner or a licensed hunter, and what time of day you are hunting. Getting those three factors right keeps you fully legal.
Pro Tip: Always verify the rules for the specific piece of public land you plan to hunt before heading out. WMAs and U.S. Forest Service lands carry additional restrictions that differ from statewide private-land rules.
Coyote Hunting Season Dates in Mississippi
There is no closed season for hunting coyotes in Mississippi. You may hunt coyotes 24 hours a day year-round with no weapon or caliber restrictions on your private property. This applies to landowners and leaseholders hunting on land they own or lease.
For licensed hunters who are not landowners, the year-round season still applies on private land with permission, but nighttime weapon restrictions come into play (covered in the night hunting section below). Beaver, coyote, fox, nutria, skunks, and wild hogs may be taken year-round on private lands, and on open public lands that have statewide seasons without special regulations as allowed according to Title 40 Part 2, Chapter 7, Rule 7.1.
On Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), the rules tighten considerably. Beavers, coyotes, and hogs may be killed during daylight hours only during any open season on a WMA with weapons and ammunition legal for that season. This means you cannot simply show up to a WMA and hunt coyotes outside of another open season — you need an active season underway to do so legally.
On U.S. Forest Service lands, nuisance animals may be killed during daylight hours only during any open hunting season with weapons and ammunition legal for that season. If you plan to hunt Forest Service land, check which seasons are currently open before you go.
License and Permit Requirements for Coyote Hunting in Mississippi
Mississippi does not issue a separate coyote-specific license. Instead, coyote hunters must carry the same hunting licenses required for other game. Persons hunting nuisance animals must possess a valid Lifetime, All Game, or Sportsman’s License, unless otherwise exempt.
For residents, the license requirement is straightforward. Each resident of the State of Mississippi ages 16 through 64 must obtain a hunting license, except while hunting on lands titled in his name. In other words, if you own the land you are hunting, you do not need a license at all. Mississippi residents 65 and older are exempt from purchasing a hunting or freshwater fishing license.
All non-residents 16 years of age or older hunting nuisance animals must possess a NR-All Game License. Non-residents do not get the same landowner exemption that residents enjoy, so a valid license is always required regardless of property ownership status.
Persons hunting nuisance animals with archery equipment and/or with primitive weapons during archery or primitive weapons season must possess either a valid Lifetime, Sportsman License, or an All Game Hunting License and the Archery/Primitive Weapon Permit, unless otherwise exempt.
All persons born on or after January 1, 1972, must satisfactorily complete a hunter education course approved by MDWFP before purchasing a Mississippi hunting license. You can purchase licenses and check current requirements through the MDWFP Licenses and Permits portal.
| Hunter Type | License Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resident landowner (land in their name) | None required | Exempt from license requirement on own land |
| Resident hunter (ages 16–64) | All Game, Sportsman, or Lifetime License | Hunter education required if born after Jan. 1, 1972 |
| Resident age 65+ | Exempt | Must carry proof of age and residency |
| Non-resident (age 16+) | NR-All Game License | No landowner exemption for non-residents |
| Archery/primitive weapon season hunter | All Game + Archery/Primitive Weapon Permit | Required during those specific seasons |
Legal Methods and Weapons for Coyote Hunting in Mississippi
Mississippi places very few restrictions on weapons used to hunt coyotes, particularly for landowners and their agents on private land. Landowners and any leaseholders may hunt nuisance animals year-round at any time of day or night with no weapon/caliber restrictions on property titled in their name or otherwise owned, or leased by them. This means rifles of any caliber, shotguns, handguns, and archery equipment are all fair game for those with ownership or lease rights.
For licensed hunters who are not landowners, daytime hunting on private land also carries no caliber restrictions. The weapon restrictions that do apply are tied specifically to nighttime hunting and to specific seasons on public land. During any open deer gun season, there is an additional safety requirement: persons hunting nuisance animals during any open gun season on deer will be required to wear, in full view, 500 square inches of solid unbroken hunter orange, unless they are hunting from a fully enclosed stand.
Dogs are a popular and legal tool for coyote hunting in Mississippi. Raccoons, foxes, opossums, beavers, nutrias, coyotes, and bobcats may be legally hunted at night, with or without the use of a light and with or without dogs, except during the spring turkey season. One key restriction: nuisance animals may not be hunted or pursued with dogs during the open spring turkey season.
Important Note: If you are hunting coyotes on a WMA during an open deer season, you must use only the weapons and ammunition legal for that specific deer season. The WMA’s posted regulations take precedence over general statewide nuisance animal rules.
If you are interested in how neighboring states handle predator hunting methods, see the rules for coyote hunting in Tennessee or coyote hunting in Alabama for comparison.
Night Hunting and Electronic Call Rules in Mississippi
Mississippi’s night hunting rules for coyotes depend heavily on who you are and where you are hunting. The most permissive rules apply to landowners and leaseholders. Landowners and any leaseholders may hunt nuisance animals year-round at any time of day or night with no weapon/caliber restrictions on property titled in their name. Designated agents of the landowners or leaseholders may hunt nuisance animals year-round at any time of day or night with no weapon/caliber restrictions, provided they have written permission from the landowner or leaseholder in their possession when hunting nuisance animals.
That written permission is not optional for designated agents. Permission letters must be signed and dated by the landowner or leaseholder, shall include the contact information of the landowner or leaseholder, the contact information of the permitted person, and a specific date of expiration. Keep that letter on your person every time you hunt.
For licensed hunters who are neither landowners nor designated agents, nighttime hunting still applies, but weapon restrictions kick in. Legal weapons for hunting from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise are restricted to handguns or rifles using no larger than .22 standard rimfire cartridges (no .22 magnums) and shotguns with shot no larger than No. 6. This is a meaningful restriction — it rules out centerfire rifles for general licensed hunters hunting at night on land they do not own or lease.
Electronic calls are fully legal for coyote hunting in Mississippi. Electrically operated calling or sound-reproducing devices may be used for hunting nuisance animals and crow only. This is a significant advantage compared to states that ban electronic calls for predators. However, the rules are different for trapping — it is illegal to trap with the aid of bait, recordings of bird or animal calls, or electrically amplified imitations of calls of any kind.
For more on how night hunting rules compare across the region, check out the regulations for coyote hunting in Georgia and coyote hunting in North Carolina.
Trapping Coyotes in Mississippi
Trapping coyotes in Mississippi requires a valid trapping license in most cases. A trapping license is required of anyone 16 years of age or older who traps furbearers (bobcat, mink, muskrat, opossum, otter, raccoon, and weasel), or nuisance animals (beaver, coyote, fox, nutria, and skunks) in the State of Mississippi. The exception: landowners trapping on land deeded in their name are not required to be licensed.
No person shall trap on the lands of another unless he has the permission of the landowner. Permission must be obtained before setting any trap on someone else’s property, regardless of whether you hold a valid trapping license.
Trap identification is mandatory. Trappers are required to have an identification number, which is issued by and registered with the MDWFP, attached to all traps by a metal tag or permanently inscribed, etched, or stamped on the trap. Traps without proper identification are a violation.
Lure rules for coyote traps are specific. Lure is allowed for trapping beaver, nutria, coyote, skunk, and fox, provided that no more than two and one-half (2.5) cubic inches of such lure may be placed or located within twenty (20) feet of any trap. The lure amount of 2.5 cubic inches is approximately the volume equivalent of a regulation-sized golf ball. All lure within twenty (20) feet of any trap must be covered and not visible from above.
- Electronic calls, bait, and recorded animal calls are prohibited for trapping
- Liquid scents may be used without restriction
- There are no lure restrictions when used inside live-cage type traps that do not exceed 42 inches in length, 15 inches in width, and 20 inches in height
- No body-gripping (conibear-type) traps that exceed 7 inches inside jaw spread may be set on any public lands unless submerged in water
- Trappers must complete and return an annual Trapper Harvest Survey to MDWFP
Any trapper failing to return a completed harvest survey may be denied a trapping license the following year. Keep accurate records throughout the season to make completing the survey straightforward.
For a comparison of trapping rules in a neighboring state, see coyote hunting laws in Texas or review how Missouri handles coyote trapping seasons.
Landowner Rights and Depredation Rules in Mississippi
Mississippi gives landowners and leaseholders some of the broadest depredation authority in the country. Landowners and any leaseholders may hunt nuisance animals year-round at any time of day or night with no weapon/caliber restrictions on property titled in their name or otherwise owned, or leased by them. No special depredation permit is required — the landowner status itself grants this authority.
This right extends to designated agents as well. Designated agents of the landowners/leaseholders may hunt nuisance animals year-round at any time of day or night with no weapon/caliber restrictions, provided they have written permission from the landowner or leaseholder in their possession when hunting nuisance animals. Permission letters must be signed and dated by the landowner or leaseholder, shall include the contact information of the landowner or leaseholder, the contact information of the permitted person, and a specific date of expiration.
On public lands, the rules shift. On public lands, the governmental entity charged with the management of said lands may or may not allow the taking of nuisance animals subject to applicable laws, rules, or regulations. Always contact the managing agency — whether MDWFP, the U.S. Forest Service, or the Army Corps of Engineers — before hunting coyotes on any public tract.
Regarding the possession and sale of harvested coyotes: any part of any nuisance animal that has been lawfully taken may be sold year-round, with the exception of wild hog meat. Coyote and fox may be possessed by licensed fur trappers for the sole purpose of transporting and selling to a MDWFP licensed coyote/fox enclosure. Live coyotes, however, cannot simply be transported anywhere — possession over 30 consecutive days for this purpose is prohibited.
Key Insight: If you are a leaseholder rather than a titled landowner, you have the same nighttime, no-caliber-restriction privileges as a landowner — but you should carry documentation of your lease agreement when hunting after dark to demonstrate your leaseholder status if questioned by an officer.
Mississippi’s coyote regulations are among the most landowner-friendly in the Southeast. For context on how other states handle depredation and landowner authority, you can review coyote hunting laws in Virginia, coyote hunting laws in Ohio, or coyote hunting laws in Indiana to see how neighboring and mid-Atlantic states compare.
For the most current and complete rules, always consult the MDWFP Nuisance Species Regulations page directly before each season. Regulations can change, and the official MDWFP source is the authoritative reference for all Mississippi hunting law. You can also review the Mississippi Hunting Regulations at eRegulations for an additional plain-language summary of current rules.