Mississippi hunters can expect good hunting for squirrels, rabbits and quail on public-hunting grounds across the state. Here’s a closer look.
A solitary hunter stood silently, blending into the hardwood swamp bottom as he watched a fox squirrel soaring through the treetops, much like a trapeze artist as it swung from branch to branch. Jeffrey Wood barked to the squirrel with his custom squirrel call and got its attention.
The fox squirrel looked like a tiny dancer on the slender limbs, moving from tree to tree until it finally arrived at an old hickory near Wood. As the squirrel cut a hickory nut, the veteran hunter took a fine bead at the furry creature high atop a limb.
Crack-pow! Ka-Wap! Wood’s aim was true, the bullet struck the squirrel’s head, and the old, red squirrel was dead before it crashed into terra firma.
Scenes like this are rarer nowadays, but it is still possible to harvest a mess of fox squirrels in Mississippi’s public-land swamps if you know where to hunt. There are still opportunities to slip through the vast, mast-producing swamps inhabited by red and black fox squirrels on many public Delta lands also.
Wood, a noted dog trainer, hunter and call maker from Stringer, has spent a lifetime hunting around Mississippi, and he knows how to find and hunt squirrels either by still hunting, calling or using treeing dogs.
“The Delta region has a lot of good squirrel-hunting opportunities, and Sunflower, Phil Bryant and Mahannah WMAs, along with Panther Swamp NWR, are four of the best public-land areas to hunt squirrels,” Wood said. “Early in the year, hunters can sit by food trees, like beech, hickory and whatever they’re feeding on, and be successful. I like to ease along and bark on my squirrel call and listen for a response.”
If Wood hears a squirrel bark a sharp reply, he’ll slip in that direction until he spots the squirrel and then dispatch him after he’s in range.
“I like to be in total camouflage, including my face,” Wood said. “After the leaves come off the trees, the slip-and-stalk is not too good, so I’ll switch to hunting with dogs; that’s another great way to enjoy the hunt. You can find a good public-land squirrel hunting area almost anywhere you live in the state.”
While grey squirrels are the dominant species, fox squirrels can be found in pockets around the state where they have mature habitat and plenty of mast. Fox squirrels are still thriving in the Delta, and big, black fox squirrels are an anomaly and something desired by many a squirrel hunter. There’s just nothing like harvesting a big red or black fox squirrel, and the opportunity is still there if you have the time to scout them and pursue them.
Here’s a statewide breakdown of public hunting areas and the prospects for squirrels, rabbits and quail for small-game hunters.
Delta Regions
Mahannah and Twin Oaks WMAs in the South Delta region always offer outstanding excellent squirrel hunting and opportunities to kill a mixed bag of red and black fox squirrels and grey squirrels. These WMAs are also popular among still hunters and squirrel dog hunters. There are more than enough to go around if you know how to hunt them.
Though long known as a trophy buck paradise, Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is also home to a prolific squirrel population, and squirrel hunting opportunities abound. Covering more than 40,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests. Panther Swamp is one of the largest refuges in the state of Mississippi. Dogs are allowed for squirrel hunting and rabbit hunting during February.
Check out the refuge regulations for seasons dates on the different sections of the refuge at https://www.fws.gov/refuge/panther_swamp.
North Delta
“O’Keefe has great squirrel hunting, and from what I’ve been hearing, it’s the best WMA to go squirrel hunting in the North Delta Region, and some of the best hunting in the state as far as WMAs go,” said Weston Thompson, North Delta regional biologist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We have a bunch of regenerated hardwoods in this area, and it’s great habitat for the rabbits and rabbit hunting. Sky Lake is another WMA that has great habitat for rabbit hunting, and there are some black squirrels there as well.”
Southwest Mississippi
“Sandy Creek WMA in the Homochitto National Forest has a big area with a lot of hardwoods, so hunters can spread out over there. Someone with squirrel dogs can cover a lot of area, and there is plenty of squirrel hunting and rabbit opportunities,” said Josh Moree, MDWFP’s regional biologist. “Copiah County WMA is another good squirrel-hunting area, and we get a fair number of squirrel hunters coming there, but it’s a smaller area overall than Sandy Creek.”
Squirrels will typically be found in the hardwood slashes and strips of mast producing trees at Copiah County.
Canemount WMA, near Port Gibson on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, is chock full of squirrels, but there is a limited hunt system open to Mississippi residents only. Hunters must check the permit station for available hunting locations.
Squirrel hunting will be allowed from Fridays through Wednesdays from Feb. 1-28 and May 15-June 1. If you are willing and able to hunt during the limited times, chances are excellent that you will be able to harvest a limit of squirrels as this WMA is managed primarily for trophy deer hunting.
Most of Unit 2 and Unit 3 is full of hardwood ridges and bottoms with an abundance of squirrels.
Southeast Mississippi
“Squirrel hunting has traditionally been really good in the Pascagoula and Ward Bayou WMAs, as they have a large amount of hardwood bottoms and plenty of good squirrel habitat,” said Drew Arnold, an MDWFP biologist. “Old River WMA is good as well but hard to access.”
“Wolf River WMA has seen good rabbit-hunting success the last few years due to cutting,” Arnold said. “Chickasawhay and Marion County WMAs also have excellent rabbit habitat due to prescribed burning and management practices. “
Northeast Region
“Our best squirrel-hunting opportunities in this region are along the (Tenn-Tom) Waterway,” said biologist Nathan Blount. “There’s a lot of access points along the waterway, and on the lower end of Canal Section WMA, you have your bottomlands. The farther north you go on the waterway, you get more into your upland habitat on the Divide Section WMA, which is usually really good. Chickasaw WMA is also a good spot for squirrel hunting; it has 27,000 acres of mixed pine and hardwood timber that is good squirrel habitat as well.” 
“Hell Creek WMA has been a popular destination for rabbit hunters. We manage for early successional habitat there, and there are a lot of rabbits on the place.”
Central/East Central Region
“Trim Cane WMA near Starkville has excellent rabbit habitat and offers rabbit hunting by draw only on Wednesdays and Saturdays during November and January,” said biologist Chad Masley. “The rabbit hunting has been really great there. Black Prairie WMA would be a second option for rabbit hunters, as it is covered up in thickets and early successional habitat.”
According to Masley, Yockanookany and Nanih Waiya WMAs have the best opportunity for squirrel hunting, as they have lots of bottomland hardwoods. Choctaw WMA also has bottomland hardwoods.
Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Noxubee, Oktibbeha and Winston counties has about 45,000 acres of bottomland and upland forest that is home to an abundance of deer, turkey and small game. Squirrels and rabbits abound on the refuge, which is primarily known for deer and duck hunting. Squirrel hunters have plenty of hardwood bottoms and mast producing trees to hunt and the squirrels can be found in all areas making it a good opportunity for hunters to spread out and not be pressured by other hunters.
“Tallahala, Caney Creek and the Bienville National Forest all have good squirrel hunting,” said Wood. “Tallahala and Caney Creek are your best bets. You just need to find a hardwood bottom or slash, and you’ll find squirrels to hunt.”
Quail hunting
“Last year, Divide Section led the state in quail harvest for public-land hunting,” Blount said. “Hell Creek also has excellent harvest and bird-hunting opportunities at the very end of February.”
During February, there is a lot of field trials on Hell Creek, but after that’s over, it is open to quail hunting, too.
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