40 Miss. Code. R. 2-1.8 - [Effective 6/30/2025] COPIAH COUNTY WMA REGULATIONS

A. Regulations for Copiah County Wildlife Management Area.

SPECIES	SEASON	COMMENTS
DEER		For deer hunting regulations see DEER DATA COLLECTION, LEGAL BUCKS, DOG RESTRICTIONS, and LEGAL WEAPONS in SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
Archery	Oct. 1 through the Friday prior to Thanksgiving.	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
Youth Gun	Saturday two weeks prior to opening day of Gun season through the Friday prior to Thanksgiving	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
Shotgun / Primitive Weapon / Handgun	Saturday prior to Thanksgiving - Jan. 7	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
Archery/Youth Gun/Muzzleloader	Jan. 8 - 31	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
YOUTH TURKEY	March 8 - 14
TURKEY - Permit Only TURKEY	March 15 - Apr. 17 Apr. 18 - May 1	See TURKEY HUNTING PERMIT in SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
YOUTH SQUIRREL	Sept. 24 - 30
SQUIRREL	Oct. 1 - Feb. 28 May 15 - June 1
RACCOON	Jul. 1 - Sept. 30	Friday and Saturday nights only.
RACCOON, OPOSSUM, & BOBCAT	Oct. 1- Feb. 28
TRAPPING	Nov. 1 - Feb. 28
RABBIT	Saturday nearest Oct. 15 - Feb. 28
QUAIL	Thanksgiving Day through the first Saturday in March.

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) per day. All harvested deer count towards statewide bag limits, unless otherwise stated.

3. DEER DATA COLLECTION: All deer harvested must be checked at WMA Headquarters and recorded on WMA Daily Visitor 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 12 inches OR one main beam length of at least 15 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 PERMITS: Turkey hunting from March 15 - Apr. 17 is allowed by special permit only. You may apply online at www.mdwfp.com. See application for hunt dates, application deadlines, and other information about permitted hunts.

7. LEGAL WEAPONS: Only shotguns with slugs, primitive weapons, and centerfire handguns may be used for deer hunting. Exception: youth deer hunters, 15 years of age or younger, are allowed to use centerfire rifles.

8. OFF-ROAD MOTORIZED VEHICLES/ATVs: ORVs/ATVs/Electric Bicycles are allowed only for the retrieval of harvested deer and 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. Raccoon hunting from horses is allowed on entire area during nighttime hunting hours.

10. CAMPING: No camping allowed.

Notes

40 Miss. Code. R. 2-1.8

Miss. Code Ann. §§ 49-1-29, 49-4-4, and 49-5-13. History: Updated May 2023.

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 Amended 6/28/2019 Updated August 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