40 Miss. Code. R. 2-1.24 - [Effective until 6/30/2025] TWIN OAKS WMA REGULATIONS

A. Regulations for Twin Oaks Wildlife Management Area in Sharkey County.

SPECIES	OPENING DATE	CLOSING DATE	COMMENTS
DEER			For deer hunting regulations see BAG LIMITS, DEER DATA COLLECTION, DEER HUNTING PERMITS, LEGAL BUCKS, SPECIAL BUCK TAGS, and DOG RESTRICTIONS in SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
Archery - Permit Only	Oct. 1	Nov. 1	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
Youth Gun	Nov. 2	Nov. 3	Antlerless deer and any antlered buck.
Primitive Weapon - Permit Only	Nov. 7	Dec. 31	Antlerless deer and legal bucks.
Archery/Youth Gun	Jan. 1	Jan. 14	Legal bucks only.
YOUTH TURKEY	Permit Only
TURKEY -PERMIT ONLY	Permit Only
YOUTH SQUIRREL	Sept. 24	Sept. 24
SQUIRREL & RABBIT	Oct. 1 Jan. 1	Dec. 31 Feb. 28	Saturdays only, except closed on Nov. 2 Daily.
SQUIRREL	May 15	June 1	Daily.
RACCOON	Jul. 1	Sep. 30	Friday and Saturday nights only.
RACCOON, OPOSSUM & BOBCAT	Oct. 1 Jan. 1	Dec. 27 Feb. 28	Friday nights only. Daily.
TRAPPING	Jan. 1	Feb. 28
WATERFOWL	See Federal Regulations.		See WATERFOWL in SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
YOUTH, VETERANS, and ACTIVE MILITRY WATERFOWL	Open concurrent with the statewide Youth, Veterans, and Active Military Waterfowl Season		See WATERFOWL in SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
POST SEASON LIGHT GOOSE CONSERVATION ORDER	See Federal Regulations.		Open after waterfowl season.
QUAIL	Nov. 30 Jan. 1	Dec. 28 Mar. 1	Saturdays only. Daily.
DOVE	See DOVE in SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
WOODCOCK	Woodcock hunting is allowed on any small game hunting day during legal woodcock season.
SNIPE	Snipe hunting is allowed on any small game hunting day during legal snipe season.
Twin Oaks WMA Will Be Closed To ALL ACTIVITES On Tuesday from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. SCOUTING IS ALLOWED ON SATURDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS.

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 season bag limits, EXCEPT that for permitted deer hunts the daily bag limit is one legal buck per permit and one doe per day, 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. DEER HUNTING PERMITS: Deer hunting, except for the youth gun hunt and the Jan. 1 - Jan. 14 archery/youth gun hunt, 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.

5. LEGAL BUCKS: Legal bucks are those with an inside spread of at least 16 inches OR one main beam length of at least 20 inches. During the Youth Permit Only Hunt, hunters 15 years of age or younger may harvest any antlered buck. During all other Permit Only hunts and the Archery/Youth Gun Season (Jan. 1 - Jan. 14), a youth hunter must harvest a buck with an inside spread of at least 16 inches OR one main beam length of at least 20 inches.

6. 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.

7. LEGAL WEAPONS: Only archery equipment and primitive weapons may be used for deer hunting. Exception: Youth deer hunters, 15 years of age or younger, are allowed to use centerfire rifles during the youth gun and primitive weapon seasons.

8. WATERFOWL: Through Dec. 31, waterfowl hunting will be allowed on Saturdays during the legal waterfowl season. After Dec. 31, waterfowl hunting is allowed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays during the legal waterfowl season EXCEPT that the Youth, Veterans, and Active Military Waterfowl season shall be open concurrent with the statewide season. Shooting hours end at 12 p.m.

9. DOVE: Dove hunting is allowed daily during legal dove season prior to Oct. 1. Dove hunting is allowed on any small game hunting day during the legal dove season after Oct. 1.

10. OFF-ROAD MOTORIZED VEHICLES/ATVs: ORVs/ATVs/Electric Bicycles are allowed on designated roads or trails for hunting and fishing access only. Off-road use of ORVs/ATVs/Electric Bicycles are allowed for retrieval of harvested deer or hogs only. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. SCOUTING: Scouting is allowed daily prior Sept. 30, and on any Saturdays, Wednesdays, and on any small game hunting days thereafter. Only those persons drawn to hunt will be allowed on the area during permitted hunts.

14. HIGH WATER LEVEL CLOSURE: ALL activities, EXCEPT for waterfowl hunting, will close when the Steele Bayou landside gauge reaches 90.0 feet and shall remain so until the Steele Bayou level falls to or below 88.0 feet.

Notes

40 Miss. Code. R. 2-1.24

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 August 2016 Amended 10/28/2016 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