JACKSON — A bill to create the Wild Turkey Stamp passed out of the Mississippi House of Representatives Tuesday afternoon. Rep. Bill Kinkade is the principal author of the bill. A similar bill was passed by the house last year but died in conference. 

Mississippi hunters and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks first supported the bill at a MDWFP commission meeting in May 2023 asking for a turkey stamp to be created. HB553 would require resident hunters to purchase a turkey stamp for $10 and non-residents to purchase a turkey stamp for $100. 

Kinkade moved for final passage for the bill. House Representatives voted to pass the bill by 103 yays, 12 nays and five absent. Lincoln County Rep. Vince Mangold voted in favor of the bill while Rep. Becky Currie voted against the bill as they did last year. 

Last February, Kinkade authored a similar bill to establish the Wild Turkey Stamp and a nearly identical bill was introduced in the Senate later. The only disparities between the two being the fees imposed on resident and non-resident hunters. 

Both bills were sent to conference, it was in conference where the turkey stamp bills died. Politics killed the bills after both chambers of the Mississippi legislature overwhelmingly passed the legislation. Those issues were smoothed out this summer.

Kinkade told representatives Tuesday there was a great cost to the state of Mississippi by the bill not passing last year. 

“What we did by not passing this bill last year was it cost us $1.3 million in projected revenue,” Kinkade said. “The $1.3 million is based on the 75,000 resident turkey hunters and 4,000 non-resident hunters. For every $10 spent on a stamp we would receive $43 in matching funds from the federal government through the Pittman-Robertson Act.”

It is important for readers to understand the MDWFP does not have an exact way to keep track of turkey hunter numbers. The turkey stamp would help. 

Senate versions

Sen. Benjamin Suber is the new chairman of the Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks committee. Under his version of the turkey stamp bill, residents would pay $10 for a stamp to hunt wild turkeys while non-residents would pay $100. According to SB2280, Proceeds would go towards the Department’s tag program, restoring, protecting and enhancing turkey habitat on public and private lands, funding scientific research and increasing access to turkey hunting opportunities. 

Senate Bill 2281 would create a new habitat stamp. All nonresident hunters, anglers or trappers over the age of 16 would be required to purchase the stamp. Nonresidents would be charged a fee of $200. Residents would not be required to purchase a stamp. The stamp shall expire one year after purchase. 

Funds raised by the habitat stamp would go towards restoring, protecting and enhancing wildlife populations or their habitat on public and private lands in Mississippi. Additionally, the stamp would fund scientific research, increase access to public fishing, trapping and hunting opportunities and can be used as matching funds or as fiscal leverage to secure grants and awards.

Both bills are in their respective committees.