Announcements

Habitat: The Mississippi State Fish and Wildlife Area is primarily a waterfowl management area. The site offers waterfowl, forest game, and furbearer hunting with limited upland game opportunities. The area is a typical bottomland complex of sloughs, backwater lakes, timbered ponds, bottomland timber comprised largely of willow, maple, and cottonwood, and open river. Waterfowl hunting is restricted to marked blind sites and a designated walk-in area.

Active habitat management will occur throughout the year on the site, including prescribed burning.

Site Specific Regulations

Statewide and associated species regulations apply at the site unless noted hereafter.

It is unlawful to trespass on areas designated as waterfowl rest areas 14 days prior to duck season and until the end of the conservation order light goose season at Godar Refuge, Crull Impoundment Refuge, Dan Hudgins Rest Area, and Batchtown Refuge. (Areas indicated by dotted line on site-specific maps below.)

Parking is only allowed along roadways and in parking areas. No driving off the roadway.

No ATVs allowed on site.

No camping allowed.

Fishing is permitted, except on waterfowl rest areas (until the end of waterfowl season), waterfowl areas as posted during waterfowl season, or within 250 yards of an occupied blind on the open river.

Commercial fishing is allowed by permit only.

There is no restriction on outboard motor size.

Dog training permits are required for training purposes and may be obtained from the Headquarters during regular business hours. The permits are valid from Apr 1 to March 31 annually. Hunting of all game species is permitted in all areas according to statewide, Federal, and site-specific regulations as listed, except in access areas, waterfowl rest areas, or within 200 yards of occupied waterfowl blinds during waterfowl season.

During duck season, no one is allowed to access the designated duck hunting areas by launching a boat at certain specifically posted boat ramps except waterfowl hunters. Boat ramps reopen to other hunters the day after duck season closes.

Non-Check Station Area:

Registered blind builders in non-check station areas must occupy blinds by ½ hour before shooting time each day or the blind will be available to non-blind builders.

Walk-in Area:

Access by walk-in or boats without motors only.
Hunting hours are from 1/2 hour before sunrise until 12 pm. daily, no access before 4 am.
No permanent blinds.
Hunting parties will not hunt over less than 12 decoys or more than 24. Decoys must be picked up daily.
No vehicles allowed.
No hunting within 200 yards of an occupied duck blind.

Blinds:

Blinds are allocated by public drawing for three-year periods.
Blinds must be built to site specifications and maintained in a safe, usable condition.
Blind builders are re-registered annually, and any blinds not registered or constructed are re-allocated.
All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind.
No more than 4 persons may occupy a blind at one time.
Hunters are required to hunt over a minimum of 12 decoys.
Blind builders must claim their blinds an hour before shooting time for teal, early goose, and the conservation order light goose seasons. If blind is not claimed, then it is open to first-come, first-served. There is no requirement to hunt from the blind sites during these seasons.
No person under 16 years old may hunt unless accompanied by an adult.

Deer

Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

Hunting in Red’s Landing Walk-in Area opens at 12 pm daily and runs to legal closing time during duck season. 
Deer hunting (Archery, Firearm, Muzzleloader, Youth Firearm, and Late Winter Seasons) is allowed in all areas except access areas, waterfowl rest areas (closed 15 days prior to duck season) during duck season, or within 200 yards of an occupied duck blind.
It is unlawful to drive deer.
One non-piercing, portable stand per hunter. Hunters may leave stands unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 21, but stands must be legibly labeled with the hunter’s name, address, and telephone number.
It is unlawful to track deer with dogs on any Department-owned/managed site during hours when deer hunting is being conducted. Dogs must be certified as deer tracking dogs by a national dog tracking organization.

Firearm

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

Hunting in Red’s Landing Walk-in Area opens at 12 pm daily and runs to legal closing time during duck season. 
Deer hunting (Archery, Firearm, Muzzleloader, Youth Firearm, and Late Winter Seasons) is allowed in all areas except access areas, waterfowl rest areas (closed 15 days prior to duck season) during duck season, or within 200 yards of an occupied duck blind.
Requires a county permit
It is unlawful to drive deer.
One non-piercing, portable stand per hunter. Hunters may leave stands unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 21, but stands must be legibly labeled with the hunter’s name, address, and telephone number.
It is unlawful to track deer with dogs on any Department-owned/managed site during hours when deer hunting is being conducted. Dogs must be certified as deer tracking dogs by a national dog tracking organization.
Deer hunters using a ground blind during any firearm deer season must display at least 400 inches of solid blaze orange material attached to the uppermost portion of the blind, and a substantial amount of orange must be visible for 360 degrees.

Late Winter Antlerless

Not available at this site.

Muzzleloader

Available at this site. Follows the same regulations as Firearm Deer. See the section above for more information.

Special CWD

Not available at this site.

Youth Firearm

Available at this site. Follows the same regulations as Firearm Deer. See the section above for more information.

Turkey

Fall Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Fall Shotgun

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except that a county permit, issued via statewide lottery, is required.

Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except that a county permit, issued via statewide lottery, is required.

Youth Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Waterfowl

Ducks, Coots, & Mergansers

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

Blind builders must claim their blind ½ hour before shooting time, or the blind is open for that day’s hunt.
There is no requirement to hunt from blind sites during teal season. 
Season and bag limits are determined by state and federal regulations.
Hunting hours follow statewide regulations, except in the Walk-in Area, which closes at 12 pm.
All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind, except in the Walk-in Area.

Goose

Available at this site. Follows the same regulations as Ducks, Coots, & Mergansers. See the section above for more information.

Snipe & Rail

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Youth Waterfowl

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

Held the weekend before the duck season opener.
No person under 16 years old may hunt unless accompanied by an adult.
Season and bag limits are determined by state and federal regulations.
Hunting hours follow statewide regulations, except in the Walk-in Area, which closes at 12 pm.
All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind, except in the Walk-in Area.

Upland & Small Game

Dove

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except that only non-toxic, steel shot size #6 or smaller is allowed.

Rabbits

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Squirrels

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except that a shotgun, .22 caliber or smaller rimfire, and air rifles are allowed.

Upland Birds

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Woodcock

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Furbearers

Hunting

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

Rimfire rifles .22 caliber and smaller may be used from sunset to sunrise.
Furbearer hunting is closed during Firearm Deer Season.
Hunters with a valid, unfilled firearm deer permit for the hunt area may take coyotes during legal hours of the firearm deer season. Otherwise, the use of shotgun slugs to take furbearing mammals is prohibited on state sites.
Coyote and striped skunk season coincides with the statewide fox season.

Trapping

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

Site-specific permit required. A permit is issued via public drawing at the site office on the first Wednesday following the opener of duck season.
A limited number of permits have been issued.
Must have a current trapping license and habitat stamp.
Only Egg Traps, D-P (Dog-Proof) Traps, box traps, cage traps, and traps of similar design may be used for land sets prior to the end of the regular duck season.
Trapping will be permitted from the statewide opener. All trapping will be permitted after the close of regular duck season.
Trappers are required to report harvest to the site office by April 15.

Amenities

More information