NATCHEZ — Depending on whom you ask, the rut is either in full swing or about to kick into gear for deer around the Miss-Lou.

With more bucks chasing doe around comes an increased risk of deer-vehicle collisions on Mississippi highways, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has urged hunters to take their five allotted doe this season to help cut down on the problem.

The problem with that plea, local hunter Charles Sanders said, is that most hunters aren’t going to have the opportunity to take five doe — and has a suggestion to help change that.

“Not every hunter is going to see five doe a year,” Sanders said. “My suggestion is to let us put feeders in food plots, in order to help attract more deer.”

Sanders said corn feeders could be placed in foot plots in order to fling corn pellets around the plot according to a timing mechanism.

“Deer love corn, so they’ll come to it. It would allow hunters to not only see more deer, but also be able to observe them longer. The feeders would keep deer there longer and allow them to make a good decision as to whether it’s a 10- or 13-inch spread. It would help in killing more doe and staying within the law of hunting bucks.”

Although legalizing feeders in food plots might make sense from a deer population control standpoint, hunting within the vicinity of a feeder is illegal in Mississippi.

“You have to be at least 100 yards away from a feeder, and the feeder has to be out of sight,” Sanders said.

Various state government agencies have had legalization of hunting near feeders get proposed in recent years, but it’s always gotten shot down, Sanders said.

“One year, it passed through the legislature, and Gov. (Haley) Barber killed it. Last year, they put it back in the hands of the Wildlife and Fisheries people. They did legalize using corn feeders, but it has to be 100 yards from you and out of sight.”

Sports Center employee Vernon Smith said he isn’t sure what the reasoning of government officials is when it comes to not being allowed to hunt around a feeder.

“You’re already feeding them (with food plots), so what’s the difference?” Smith said.

“They’re letting people take a rifle during primitive weapon season with the idea of killing more deer. Feeders would help hunters kill more deer. Again, what’s the difference?”

Redneck Adventures’ Jim Allgood said he supports any method of allowing people to better experience hunting and the outdoors.

“Anything that gets kids off the X-Box, and helps them and those less fortunate to better enjoy the hunting experience (by seeing more deer) would be a good thing,” Allgood said.

Derrick Dungan, a Vidalia resident, said Louisiana doesn’t regulate hunting around feeders.

“You can put a feeder wherever you want,” Dungan said. “I don’t believe there are any rules about where you can hunt around it. You can hunt right over it.”

Dungan also said that food plots are helpful in helping to keep deer nourished.

“In certain places, they eat so much underbrush and natural vegetation that they basically eat themselves out of house and home.

“Hunting around feeders is legal in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and I want to say Alabama too. I don’t understand why you can’t do it in Mississippi. You can plant all the food plots you want, which does the same thing — you’re attracting them to the area you have your stand in.”