Mississippi Small Game Hunting Opportunities at O’Keefe WMA

February is an excellent time to get out and enjoy small game hunting, and O’Keefe WMA offers great opportunities for late season squirrel hunting. Located near Lambert, in Quitman County, O’Keefe WMA is 5,914 acres in size and is one of the largest remaining tracts of contiguous bottomland hardwood forest in the Mississippi Delta.

Squirrel hunting is done by stalking though the woods, sitting quietly and waiting for squirrels to come into range, or by using dogs to tree the squirrel. O’Keefe WMA offers excellent hunting access through several ATV and foot trails.

The daily bag limit is 8 squirrels per hunter per day, and the season closes February 28, 2013. Legal weapons for small game hunting are shotguns using #2 shot or smaller, rifles or handguns no larger than .22 rimfire (which includes .22 magnums), muzzleloading rifles .40 caliber or smaller, and archery equipment using points other than broadheads.

All persons using O’Keefe and other WMAs, except those exempt from purchasing an annual hunting or fishing license, must carry on their person a valid statewide WMA User Permit. This permit is required in addition to the daily visitor use permit, a valid hunting license, and may be purchased wherever licenses are sold.

For more information about small game hunting opportunities, and/or rules and regulations, please visit our website at mdwfp.com-wildlife-hunting.

Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), formerly known as the Mississippi Game & Fish Commission, is an agency of the government of the U.S. state ofMississippi responsible for programs protecting Mississippi fish and wildlife resources and their habitats, as well as administering all state parks; it has its headquarters in Jackson. The agency issues hunting and fishing licenses, advises on habitat protection, and sponsors public education programs. It is also responsible for enforcement of Mississippi's fish and game laws. It is separate from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, which is the governing body for the state's natural salt-water resources and law enforcement thereof (i.e. Gulf of Mexico, ocean-going vessels, etc.).