Mississippi
Get ready for hunting season: Jackson metro to have two outdoor shows this weekend
The Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza and the Mississippi Ag and Outdoor Expo will both happen this weekend and will offer just about anything you need to enjoy the outdoors.
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If you’re into the outdoors, you have a big weekend ahead. Not one, but two outdoor shows are scheduled to take place in the metro area this weekend and will feature the latest in hunting, fishing and agriculture equipment.
Each has more than 100 vendors and lots of things to choose from to gear up for hunting season. After all, it’s almost here. Alligator season is only weeks away followed by dove season, early waterfowl opportunities in September, archery and small game in October and then gun season for deer in November.
And no matter what you hunt, the season will probably be here before you know it and this weekend is a great time to get ahead of the game.
Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza
The Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza will be held in Pearl and Ashlee Ellis-Smith, CEO of conservation organization Mississippi Wildlife Federation which hosts the event, said it’s going to be the best in a decade.
“People who have gone in the past I think will be very pleased because this show will harken back to the days of old,” Ellis-Smith said. “We have the best vendors we’ve had in 10 years.
“They are all hunting, fishing and outdoors and there’s tons of stuff for the kids. There are 139 vendors not counting the various kids’ activities.”
Highlights of the event include a 3-D archery tournament, hand-grabbing catfish for kids, turkey calling championship, the Big Buck Contest and chances to win guns every hour.
“There’s a gun giveaway every hour on the hour,” Ellis-Smith said. “You just have to be present to win.”
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What to know about the MS Wildlife Extravaganza
- Dates: July 26-29
- Hours: Friday, 12-8 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Location: Clyde Muse Center, 515 Country Place Parkway, Pearl
- Cost: Adult day pass $15 Adult weekend pass $30 Kid day pass $7 Kid weekend pass $14 Kids five and under free Friday is Kid’s Day, 12 and under get in free
- For more information visit www.mswildlife.org.
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Mississippi Ag and Outdoor Expo
The Mississippi Ag and Outdoor Expo is presented by Jack Fisher of the Louisiana-based Great Southern Expos, and Fisher said this year’s event will be bigger than in past years.
“This year we not only have the Trade Mart full, we have the Coliseum,” Fisher said. “With that space we have room for campers, more ATVs than we’ve had before and more entertainment for adults and kids.
“We have about 150 vendors and about 300 booths with lots of bulk space. That’s where we display tractors and ATVs.”
The event features guides and outfitters, boats, tractors and agriculture equipment, hunting and fishing equipment and more. Other attractions are a 3-D archery tournament, Dock Dogs Jumping Competition, axe-throwing and mechanical bull riding.
As an added feature, Fisher said Tower Loans will be onsite offering interest-free financing for up to two years for those bigger purchases.
What to know about the MS Ag and Outdoor Expo
- Dates: July 26-29
- Hours: Friday, 12-7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Location: Mississippi Coliseum and Trade Mart, 1207 Mississippi Street off High Street, Jackson
- Cost: Adults, $15 Kids six through 12, $5 Kids five and under, free Sunday all kids get in free
- For more information visit www.mississippioutdoorexpo.com.
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Here’s the nominees for Clarion Ledger girls Athlete of the Week for May 4-9
Here’s the five nominees for the Clarion Ledger girls Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for May 4-9.
There were several top performers across the state in girls high school sports, but only one can be voted as the Clarion Ledger athlete of the week for May 4-9.
Fans may vote in the poll BELOW one time per hour per device. The poll closes at noon on Friday.
To nominate a future athlete of the week, email mchavez@gannett.com or message him on X, formerly Twitter, @MikeSChavez.
To submit high school scores, statistics, records, leaders and other items at any time, email mchavez@gannett.com.
Nominations
Kara Applewhite, Sumrall: Applewhite had four hits with a home run and five RBIs in Sumrall’s 10-0 win against East Central.
Caydance Brumfield, West Marion: Brumfield produced four hits and five RBIs in West Marion’s two wins against Pisgah.
Addison Collum, West Union: Collum pitched eight innings and recorded seven strikeouts and only two earned runs in West Union’s wins against Smithville.
Addison Cornish, West Lauderdale: Cornish recorded five hits and a home run in West Lauderdale’s wins against Choctaw Central.
Addison Davis, George County: Davis pitched nine innings with 20 strikeouts and recorded two home runs and four RBIs in George County’s wins against Pearl River Central.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
‘We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.’
Bobcat stalks and strikes at Wisconsin turkey hunter
Turkey hunter Carson Bender of Wisconsin Rapids recorded a video of a bobcat that stalked and lunged at him as he hunted April 18, 2026 near Nekoosa, Wis.
Carson Bender
If a proposal made in the April meeting of the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is finalized, nonresident turkey hunters will see big changes in the 2027 spring turkey season.
“We’re doing this in a way to impact how hunting pressure occurs and how the harvest happens in the early season,” said Caleb Hinton, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.”
Turkey hunters enjoy a three-bird bag limit and a little more than six weeks of hunting in spring, which is similar to some other states. What is at issue is when it opens. March 15 is the typical opening date for the regular season, making it one of the earliest in the nation.
That early opening date combined with a growing trend among turkey hunters is where the problem lies.
Mississippi is a destination for early season, nonresident hunters
Possibly more than any other group of hunters, turkey hunters like to travel. For some, it may be a matter of seeing a different landscape and hunting birds under condions they don’t encounter in their home state. For others it may be a quest to harvest each of the subspecies in North America.
For yet another group, it’s the challenge of harvesting a gobbler in each of the 49 states that have turkeys.
“It seems to be getting more and more popular every year,” Hinton said.
Regardless of why a turkey hunter chooses to travel, it puts a target on Mississippi’s back because for the first few weeks of the season, it’s almost the only game in town, so hunters flock to the state.
In an effort to curb the amount of hunting pressure in those first weeks of turkey season, MDWFP proposed limiting nonresident hunters to two legal gobblers per season and only one of those can be harvested before April 1.
“Hopefully, it will help curb the massive influx of pressure we get the first week or two of the season,” Hinton said.
When will turkey season changes for nonresidents be voted on?
The proposed changes aren’t the first that have been geared toward alleviating pressure on turkeys in the early part of the season by nonresidents. In 2022, the commission passed a rule requiring nonresident hunters to enter a drawing for a hunt on public land during the first two weeks of turkey season. Currently, the number of hunters drawn is limited to 800.
Like that change, the current proposal will pass or fail by a vote of the wildlife commission. In the April commission meeting, the proposal passed an initial vote. It is now in a 30-day public comment period and a final vote will be taken in the May meeting.
Public comments may be submitted at https://www.mdwfp.com/proposed-rules-regulations.
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi high school addresses social media post, says it won’t tolerate racism or harassment
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi high school has made a statement after a social media post involving a student surfaced.
Northeast Lauderdale High School officials say they’re reviewing a social media post involving a student.
In a statement, the school said administrators are aware of the post and are “reviewing the situation.”
The school said it is committed to maintaining a safe, orderly and respectful environment for students and staff.
“Neither our district nor our school accept or condone racism, discrimination, harassment, or behavior that is inconsistent with the expectations of our school community,” the statement said.
Officials said they are working with the appropriate parties and will address the matter in accordance with district policies and procedures.
The school added that it cannot share additional details because of student privacy laws.
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