Horn Island Camping

do it several times a year. No permit needed unless you are bringing more than 10 people in 1 group. Best areas are east and west ends but plenty good spots all along just kinda stay away from the lagoon as that is were the bugs and raccoons are the worst. I would go the sooner the better as the further you go into the year form now the hotter it will be and the more bugs there will be. Generally fish in the evening, flounder gig and pick up softshells or just hard crabs if none are soft at night, then fish the early morning. Bring a burner, propane bottle and pot and boil some crabs with the salt water. of course grill with the usual burgers/dogs/steaks whatever.

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Bring ALL the bug repellent you can and then also bring some more.

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Sweet baby Jesus this. The horseflies on the barrier islands will eat you alive. They laugh at deet. Highly recommend a screen tent to hang out in while not moving around. If you sit still unprotected you’re fricked. Gotta stick and move on those bastards.

You got a wenonah?

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ould this time of year be good to pick up some crabs and possibly some flounder?

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Regular Crabs --- soak a trap or two and it should catch a good bit

Softshell Crabs ---- More of summertime thing

Flounder ---- Bring your gear. Probably some hanging around. I always try when I am there.

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he horseflies on the barrier islands will eat you alive

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Worst experience of my life was taking a shite in some grass on Cat island as a kid...

Cat Island? Should not need a permit for Cat even with 10 or more people....the permit for large group is only for the "wilderness islands" and Cat is not listed as such. Neither is Ship or Deer. Only Horn and Petit Bois require the permit for large groups. For some reason thought it was 40 but it is 10. The 40 I think had to do with the old rendezvous when we were setting that up.

camping regs

Wilderness Islands

Not sure. Just going by what the regs on the website. We’ve never fooled with the permits at all just calling each boat their own “group” so number per boat stays under 10. Prob not strictly to the letter of the regulation but they don’t make it easy to deal with them especially after hours type stuff. Lots of trips are spur of the moment 5pm on Saturday evening weather looks great so load up and go. Good luck getting a permit at that point .

--Gone overnight to each of the islands several times every year since I got my boat in '07.

--Literally my favorite place to be/thing to do. This is last year on Horn Island:


-- We are lucky in that we have rarely had a problem while camping with bugs. Maybe because we tend to camp away from buggy areas...Now, when you go into an island's interior, that's a whole 'nother story.. deerflies, horseflies can get really bad and high % DEET spray is a must.

--- Re: permits and such, Cat is still a little different from the rest of the islands. National Park Service owns a good portion of Cat-- the western end and Goose Point (southern tip). The rest of the island, other than the privately-held area around the canals where several camps are located, is actually held by the State of Mississippi, who bought it in the last 10 years or so. So permit rules shouldn't even apply to the Mississippi-owned portion.

-- NO DOGS on Horn and Petit Bois is correct, and people break that rule all the time.

-- Finally, fires only below the "high tide line". Can't stress that enough. Not easy to define, but generally means "on the beach". I've seen YouTube videos of idiots camping up in the dunes amongst trees and such; that's how forest fires like the one on Horn several years ago and the one on Deer a couple of years ago get started.

One more from Cat, first time I camped on the Islands:

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Trip looks to be second weekend in April,

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Just a FYI that is the beginning of prime gnat and horsefly season, stick to the ends of the island where there is no vegetation and you will be much better off.

A cheap screened gazebo could be a lifesaver