Magnolia Tribune brings you a Bill of the Day from the Mississippi Legislature that just may pique your interest.
Have you ever been getting dressed to head to the deer stand and as you slide on your bright orange fluorescent vest you think, “I wish this was pink?” Well, this bill of the day could grant your wish.
House Bill 373 authored by State Representatives Randy Rushing (R) and Jeffery Hulum (D) would alter the state’s code section pertaining to proper hunting attire, allowing for a “solid unbroken fluorescent pink” to be worn.
Current Mississippi law requires that hunters wear at least 500 square inches of fluorescent orange when hunting wild hogs or deer in any gun season. They are not required to wear it while fully enclosed in a deer stand but must do so outside of that area.
The proposed bill states that the same square inches be worn but defines the color as a “solid unbroken fluorescent orange or solid unbroken fluorescent pink.”
If caught not sporting the bright color, it is a Class III violation and is punishable by a fine.
The state had issued 300,000 hunting licenses as of 2018. It’s estimated that the state’s deer population is somewhere around 1.75 million. Typically, close to 280,000 deer are harvested annually in the state.
In addition, there were just under 205,000 wild hogs killed in Mississippi, compared to around 195,000 deer, according to reports for the 2017 to 2018 season from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks.
Sarah Ulmer
