The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks has received several inquiries as to whether a metallic cartridge device that attaches to an arrow can be used for hunting deer in Mississippi, and they cannot during the archery season.

The devices are similar to “bang sticks” and allow a handgun or other metallic cartridge to be placed inside the device which is then screwed onto the end of a conventional archery arrow. The arrow can then be fired as any other arrow; however, when the arrow impacts the target, the cartridge is fired, propelling the bullet into the target/quarry, killing the quarry.

40 MISS. ADMIN. CODE Part 2, Rule 2.2, is the Commission regulation for lawful weapons for use during the various deer seasons. Paragraph C.1., states, “Archery: Longbows, recurves, compound bows, and crossbows. There is no minimum or maximum draw weight. There is no minimum length arrow. Fixed or mechanical broadheads may be used.”

The bang stick attachments are not “mechanical broadheads” and are not lawful equipment which may be used during the bow and arrow-only season for white-tailed deer.

Based upon some prior Attorney General’s Opinions, the MDWFP considers these devices to be “firearms.” Using such a device during the archery season for deer could expose the hunter to being charged with “hunting out of season.” The devices are perfectly legal for use during the regular gun season for deer by any person who may lawfully own or possess a firearm.

Likewise any device that propels a conventional arrow by means of firing a firearm cartridge or blank is also prohibited from use during archery-only deer season.

“We have had some calls on these weapons that look like a rifle, but they “fire” an arrow by means of a .22 Long Rifle cartridge or a blank, being fired to propel the arrow downrange,” said Steve Adcock, MDWFP Chief of Law Enforcement. “Of course, these devices are not longbows, compound bows or crossbows, so they cannot be used during the archery-only deer season.”

Such devices can be used during the regular gun season for deer.