Deer hunters in Mississippi, take note: it would be prudent to use any and all natural deer-urine attractant products before the current season ends.
After the 2018-19 season, it will be illegal for hunters to use all such materials. The regulation, passed in September by the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks and later finalized, is a proactive measure in the wake of three confirmed cases of CWD cases in the state.
The regulation states:
“Beginning, July 1, 2019, it shall be unlawful to use scents or lures that contain natural cervid urine, biofluids or biological material for hunting purposes. Synthetic scents or lures may be used for hunting purposes.”
For the purpose of this rule, cervids include any member of the Cervidae family, including white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, sika deer, fallow deer, mule deer and caribou.
“I guess I have about five different ‘Doe in Heat’ bottles, some of them five or 10 years old, both at home and at the deer camp,” said Rick House of Jackson. “I probably buy one every year, usually at the Wildlife Extravaganza, and then forget where I put it. It’s only worked on a few bucks for me, but I keep trying.
“Guess what? I’m going to use it liberally during the rut and pre-rut in December and January; you can bet on that. I’ve told all my friends to come and get a bottle and use it whenever and wherever they can.”
CWD scientific research indicates infection prions are found in bodily fluids of cervids. While the introduction of CWD through a urine-based product is a long shot, Mississippi is taking no chances.
