We are two experienced Deer hunters from Sweden that are looking for new experiences and challanges. We have hunted roedeers for a long time in Sweden and want to try out some whitetail hunting on our own in Mississippi. Ive read the regulations both statewide and for the public hunting area, but still have some questions that i hope someone here on the forum can help me with.

1. After reading the definations of a non-resident hunter i have come to the conclusion that its does not matter if you are a American citizen or a Swedish Citizen, you can always apply for a non-resident hunting license. Is this correct or have i missed something?

2. All hunters in Mississippi must have a Hunters Education. Is the one in Mississippi the only one thats legal, or does my Swedish Hunter Education apply here? If not, do anyone have an idea of how to solve this problem?

3. How does the system of tags work? Do i apply for tags somewhere , or are we supposed to buy tags at the public hunting ground?

4. How does it work when hunting on public land. Do one apply for a area (for example Red Creek) and then the gamewarden tells you where other hunter are so you dont put up a stand or a blind right next to them?

5. Whats the gun regulations in MS, can I as a Swedish citizen buy or rent a gun? When reading the Mississippi state regulations ive come to the conclusion that we can buy a gun and then sell it when we leaves. Is this correct or have i missed out something?

I dont have the singlest idea if this trip is possible to do, but i really want to try some new hunting on my own. It does not have to be the State of Mississippi, if anyone has another idea, please feel welcome and help me. Im sorry for the lack of english in the tread, but as you proberly understand im not an native speaker of the language.

//Mattias

I'm pretty sure that you either need to be a US citizen or at least reside in the US to be able to buy a gun of anykind. And I'm thinking that it will be the same in any state you go to. I would call the State Police for the state that you want to visit before you spend all the money for a hunt to be sure that you can aquire a gun. I've never heard of anyplace that rents rifles for hunting. I'm seeing a big liability issue there. Good Luck.

And, dont forget about your hunter safety certificate

Well, the gun issue isnt really a big trouble because i can always apply for bringing my own gun into the country. A couple of swedes do that every year when swapping hunts or visiting a outfitter so it should not be a problem. Sweden have very strict gun laws, and demands on hunter education certificate.

My idea was to buy a cheap used remington 700 (or something similiar) to avoid paying for special luggage and unnecessary bureaucracy, but it proberly be better to bring my own gun.

The biggest problem so far is the Hunters Education issue. In Sweden the hunters safety certificate is included in Hunting education and is a requeriment to hunt. I assumed that it was the case in Mississippi also. Can you tell me more about the safety certificate?

//Mattias

Mattias, if you got a certificate from the course you took in Sweden then you should be good to go here as well, but if I were you, I would call or write the Miss, Game Department just to be sure.
Whats the big attraction to Mississippi?

Ive read a couple of articles where the writters claim that the whitetail population is really strong, with an avarage of 8 hunting days per deer. Another reason was that Mississippi State allows a 7-day license for non-resident for 130$. A fast look on the airline company shows that it might be possible to get a direct flight from Stockholm to Jackson wich saves both money and time. But as i said before, im still open for suggestions and everything is worth looking up. You guys should really be thankfull for living in a country where you have so many different hunting opportunities.

Ill proberly mail them and ask if my hunting education is good. But i am still clueless on how the tag system works. Does the Game department answer these question too or should i mail the gamewarden in a public hunting ground?

//Mattias

What questions on tag do yo uhave?

Good luck with your plan to hunt in the US. If you do come to Mississippi to hunt public land, the quality of deer will be much better in the delta. You mentioned the red creek management area, which is in south MS. I would look at areas along the MS river from Vicksburg, north. The Natchez area and Tunica area are known for big deer. We have a good population of deer all over the state, but the quality is not as good in the south.

I understand, the "black belt" area in Alabama also has a lot of deer, but I don't know about the size of the deer or the public land.

Concerning tags: I think, in MS, once you get the license, you are allowed to kill whatever the bag limit is. We don't really have tags.

It's been many years since I hunted the public areas, but the game warden could probably point you in a direction so you wouldn't be on top of another hunter.