40 Miss. Code. R. 2-1.21 - [Effective 6/30/2025] SHIPLAND WMA REGULATIONS

A. Regulations for Shipland Wildlife Management Area in Issaquena County

SPECIES	SEASON	COMMENTS
DEER		For deer hunting regulations see DEER DATA COLLECTION, LEGAL BUCKS and DOG RESTRICTIONS in SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
Archery	Oct. 1 through the Friday prior to Thanksgiving.	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
Youth Gun	Saturday two weeks prior to the opening day of Primitive Weapon season through the Friday prior to Thanksgiving.	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
Primitive Weapon	Saturday prior to Thanksgiving through Dec. 1.	Legal bucks only.
	Dec. 2 - 15	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
	Dec. 16 - 31	Legal bucks only.
Archery / Youth Gun	Jan. 1 - 31	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
TURKEY	Permit Only.	See TURKEY HUNTING in SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
YOUTH SQUIRREL	Sept. 24 - 30
SQUIRREL	Oct.1 - Feb.28 May 15 - June 1
RACCOON	Jul. 1 - Sep. 30	Friday and Saturday nights only.
RACCOON, OPOSSUM, BOBCAT	Oct. 1 - Feb. 28
TRAPPING	Nov. 1 - Feb. 28
WATERFOWL	Same as statewide seasons.
RABBIT	Saturday nearest Oct.15 - Feb.28.
DOVE	Hunting hours the first season are 2:00 pm until sunset.
POST SEASON LIGHT GOOSE COSERVATION ORDER	See Federal Regulations.	Open after waterfowl season.

Whenever the opening date set above falls on a Sunday, the season shall begin on the preceding Saturday.

B. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

1. WMA USER PERMIT: All persons using this wildlife management area, except those exempt from purchasing an annual hunting or fishing license, must carry on their person an annual statewide Wildlife Management Area User Permit. This permit is required in addition to completing the daily visitor use permit or by using the WMA Check-In App and any required license and may be purchased wherever licenses are sold.

2. BAG LIMITS: Same as statewide bag limits, except the bag limit on antlerless deer is one (1) and on legal bucks is two (2), and 1 adult gobbler per permitted hunt. All harvested deer count towards statewide bag limits, unless otherwise stated.

3. DEER DATA COLLECTION: All deer harvested must be checked at the WMA Headquarters and recorded on WMA Daily Use Permit Card or WMA Check-In App by the hunter who harvested them before leaving the WMA. If WMA personnel are not available to check the deer, the hunter is responsible for collecting and legibly recording ALL biological data (weight, antler measurements, and jawbone). Instructions and equipment will be provided.

4. LEGAL BUCKS: Legal bucks are those with an inside spread of at least 15 inches OR one main beam length of at least 18 inches. For hunters 15 years of age or younger any antlered buck is a legal buck.

5. DOG RESTRICTIONS: Deer hunting with dogs is prohibited. Small game hunting with dogs is allowed during any small game season. Hunting, running, or pursuing hogs with the use of dogs is prohibited.

6. TURKEY HUNTING: Turkey hunting is allowed by permit only.

7. LEGAL WEAPONS: Only centerfire rifles, shotguns with slugs, primitive weapons, and centerfire handguns may be used for deer hunting during the youth deer hunt. Other deer seasons are restricted to archery and primitive weapons.

8. OFF-ROAD MOTORIZED VEHICLES/ATVs: Off-road use of ORVs/ATVs/Electric Bicycles are allowed for retrieval of harvested deer or hogs. Additionally, electric bicycles may be ridden on marked foot-traffic trails only by users 65 years of age and older. They may not be ridden on any leveed roads or trails.

9. HORSES: Horseback riding is prohibited during WMA deer and turkey seasons. At all other times, horseback riding is restricted to roads open to motorized vehicles and designated ATV trails. Raccoon hunting from horses is allowed during nighttime hunting hours.

10. CAMPING: Camping is allowed in designated areas only. Camping is limited to 14 consecutive days. Camping equipment may not be left unattended for more than 24 hours. All camping equipment and garbage must be removed before final departure.

11. HIGH WATER: Hunting seasons (excluding waterfowl season) are closed when the Mississippi River gauge at Vicksburg reads 41.0 ft or higher and re-open when the gauge reads 39.0ft or lower. River stages can be obtained from www.mdwfp.com/wma. The earliest daily reading will determine WMA closure for the entire day.

Notes

40 Miss. Code. R. 2-1.21

Miss. Code Ann. §§ 49-1-29, 49-4-4, and 49-5-13.

Updated April 2014 Amended 7/5/2015 Updated April 2016 Amended 6/26/2016 Updated April 2017 Amended 6/24/2017 Updated April 2018 Amended 7/7/2018 Updated May 2019 Amended 6/28/2019 Updated September 2019 Amended 10/28/2019 Amended 6/17/2020 Amended 6/17/2021 Amended 6/27/2022 Amended 6/26/2023 Amended 7/25/2024 Amended 7/1/2025