Home › Mississippi › Public land › Wildlife management areas › Sandy Creek WMA
WMA · Adams County
Wildlife management area in Adams County and Franklin County, 16,407 acres, managed by MDWFP.
Photo: Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Sandy Creek WMA is a wildlife management area wildlife management area that MDWFP runs on 16,407 acres in Adams and Franklin counties. MDWFP's South Regional Office is the regional office the brochure points to for Sandy Creek WMA. The sources name deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum and bobcat and trapping as huntable at Sandy Creek WMA.
From the agency records read on November 14, 2026: MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, WMA brochure, source 4.
Nearby
License-exempt hunters aside, anybody using Sandy Creek WMA needs the WMA User Permit, which runs $15.00 for residents and $30.00 for non-residents. Resident buyers see two add-ons, $1.00 for the agent and $2.49 for processing. You will also need the usual hunting license, described on the license page. The agency layer shows 6 camp site, 1 check station, 1 headquarters and 1 permit station on the area. The draw hunt guide matters here because Sandy Creek WMA has permit-only hunting.
| Contact | Listed value |
|---|---|
| Phone | (601) 277-3636, (601) 432-2199, (601) 783-2911 |
| HQ GPS | 31.4045, -91.1861 |
MDWFP price page and the area brochure (MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, WMA brochure); checked November 14, 2026.
MDWFP's brochure sets out 16 season lines for Sandy Creek WMA; 7 concern deer and 9 cover everything else. The notes column is a short form of the brochure comment, and the PDF holds the full wording. The printed document is joint for Caston Creek and Sandy Creek; area-specific lines are marked in the PDF.
| Quarry or weapon | Begins | Ends | Entry type | Note | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raccoon | Jul 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | Open | Fri and Sat nights | |
| Youth squirrel | Sep 24, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | Open | – | |
| Deer, archery | Oct 1, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | Open | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Raccoon, opossum, bobcat | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | Open | – | |
| Squirrel | Oct 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | Open | – | |
| Rabbit | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | Open | – | |
| Trapping | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | Open | – | |
| Deer, youth deer | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | Open | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Deer, gun | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 1, 2026 | Open | – | |
| Deer, primitive weapon | Dec 2, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 | Open | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Deer, gun | Dec 16, 2026 | Dec 23, 2026 | Open | Bucks only | |
| Deer, gun | Dec 24, 2026 | Jan 20, 2027 | Open | – | |
| Deer, primitive weapon | Jan 21, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | Open | Bucks only | |
| Youth turkey | Mar 8, 2027 | Mar 14, 2027 | Open | – | |
| Turkey | Mar 15, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 | Permit | Permit rules apply | |
| Turkey | Apr 1, 2027 | May 2, 2027 | Open | – |
From the 2026-27 WMA brochure (Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks), brochure dated April 2026; checked November 14, 2026.
MDWFP's draw tables list 8 hunts for Sandy Creek WMA with 200 permits in all. Windows differ by hunt type, so match your plan to the right row below. Unsuccessful applicants earn one bonus point per year for each draw type, and each point counts as an extra entry in later draws. A non-resident share of a hunt is capped at ten percent of its quota.
| Draw | Number | Total quota | Start | Finish | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey, 2026 | 8 | 200 | March 14 – 15 | March 29 – 31 | Held in 2026 |
| Draw | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | January 15 | January 31 |
From the MDWFP WMA draw hunts page and its schedules (Turkey table); bonus points and the non-resident cap from the bonus point page; checked November 14, 2026. Deer draw hunts statewide.
Deer weapons named in the Sandy Creek WMA brochure: centerfire rifles, slug or buckshot shotguns, primitive weapons and centerfire handguns. Youth under 16 may shoot any antlered buck; everyone else needs 10 inches of spread or 13 inches of beam. On top of the area rules, Rule 1.1 sets safety and conduct for every wildlife management area. Head to the WMA hub for Rule 1.1 and area comparisons.
| Topic | In brief |
|---|---|
| Camping | Forest Service rules |
| Horses | Hunting from horseback |
| Dogs | Deer dogs by area |
| ORVs and ATVs | Forest Service rules |
| Legal buck | 10 in. spread or 13 in. beam |
| Bag limits | Statewide, with exceptions |
| Subject | Wording on file |
|---|---|
| Deer check-in | All deer harvested must be checked at a self-service data collection station and recorded on DAILY VISITOR USE PERMIT CARD or on the WMA Check-In App by the hunter who harvested them before leaving the WMA. |
| Turkey | Turkey hunting from March 15 to March 31 is allowed by special permit only. |
| Dogs | Caston Creek: DEER HUNTING WITHOUT DOGS AREA: The portion of the area west of Forest Service Road 155. Hog hunting with dogs is allowed during daylight hours only during February 1-28 with weapons legal for small game. |
From the 2026-27 area brochure and the MDWFP area page (MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, WMA brochure); Rule 1.1 and area texts; checked November 14, 2026.
On the MDWFP WMA boundary layer, Sandy Creek WMA sits at 31.4017, -91.1879. A straight line from the Sandy Creek WMA point reaches Roxie in 10 miles.
Driving directions from the source text. Sandy Creek is located in Adams and Franklin Counties near Natchez. Beginning at the intersection of US Highway 61 south and Liberty Road in Natchez travel southeast on Liberty Road for approximately 14.1 miles to the intersection of Garden City Road. Turn south(right) onto Garden City Road and continue for approximately 3.93 miles. The Sandy Creek WMA headquarters will be located on your right.
From the area page and brochure (MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, WMA brochure) and the MDWFP WMA boundary layer; checked November 14, 2026.
The 2024 DMAP summary for Sandy Creek WMA shows 18 reported deer, 10 bucks and 8 does. That works out to 912 acres per deer across 16,407 DMAP acres. Spring 2025 effort at Sandy Creek WMA came to 386 man-days for 15 turkeys. Averages over ten springs sit at 515 man-days and 16 birds; spring 2024 had 414 and 16.
The report is from the agency; it counts only deer and turkeys that hunters reported on the area.
From 2024 DMAP report and the spring 2025 WMA turkey totals; checked November 14, 2026.
Outside the zone map: that is where the 2 counties of Sandy Creek WMA stands on CWD management. On the agency layer, sampling in the 2 counties of Sandy Creek WMA totals 1,630 with 0 positives. MDWFP shows no date on these figures, so treat them as cumulative totals. No county on this page is in the North Central unit, and the other three units are defined by roads and rivers. Full rules sit on the CWD zone page, the results by county and the deer unit page.
| County | Layer region | District | In a zone? | Feeding | Positives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | South | 3 | Outside zones | No ban | 0 of 939 |
| Franklin | South | 3 | Outside zones | No ban | 0 of 691 |
MDWFP county layer (County_Info), CWD management zones and deer management units; region labels are the layer’s only county source; checked November 14, 2026.
Light goose Conservation Order days follow the deer rule and run half an hour past sunset, which no other waterfowl day does.
| Day | Why it matters | Sun up | Sun down | Deer window | Waterfowl window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Archery, Delta and Hills | 6:57 a.m. | 6:51 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 7:21 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:51 p.m. |
| Oct 15, 2026 | Archery, Southeast | 7:07 a.m. | 6:34 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 7:04 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 6:34 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Youth gun deer | 6:25 a.m. | 5:12 p.m. | 5:55 a.m. to 5:42 p.m. | 5:55 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opens | 6:37 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. |
| Nov 26, 2026 | Quail season opens | 6:42 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Nov 27, 2026 | Duck season opens | 6:43 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Dec 2, 2026 | Primitive weapon deer | 6:47 a.m. | 5:02 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Year's shortest day | 7:00 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. |
| Mar 15, 2027 | Turkey season opens | 7:16 a.m. | 7:12 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 7:12 p.m. |
Hours rules from the MDWFP general hunting rules and the 2026-27 migratory game bird digest (Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks); sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula on Central Time; checked November 14, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Supplies lie in one of five towns, between 10 miles and 18 miles off. Natchez, 15 miles out, is the larger service town with 14,233 people. 14 miles away in Natchez, Natchez State Park takes CWD samples.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roxie | Franklin | 466 | 10 miles | northeast |
| Cloverdale | Adams | – | 15 miles | northwest |
| Natchez | Adams | 14,233 | 15 miles | northwest |
| Morgantown | Adams | – | 15 miles | northwest |
| Meadville | Franklin | 430 | 18 miles | east |
Towns from Census 2024 estimates; CWD drop-off sites from the MDWFP drop-off list; businesses from services listings; straight-line miles; checked November 14, 2026.
Going north, Bob M. Dearing Natchez State Park WMA is 13 miles away and the next public land over. The nearest six are made up of 3 WMA, 1 refuge and 1 national forest. The mileage uses straight lines from the Sandy Creek WMA point, so plan the drive separately.
| Nearby | Type | Acres | County | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob M. Dearing Natchez State Park WMA | WMA | 3,396 | Adams | 13 miles | north |
| Caston Creek WMA | WMA | 28,214 | Amite | 15 miles | east |
| St. Catherine Creek NWR | Refuge | 21,271 | Adams | 16 miles | west |
| Homochitto National Forest | National forest | 191,846 | Franklin | 23 miles | east |
| Homochitto Ranger District | Ranger district | 191,846 | Franklin | 23 miles | east |
| Canemount WMA | WMA | 3,500 | Claiborne | 36 miles | north |
Point from the MDWFP WMA boundary layer; straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Sunset over the Mississippi River bridge between Natchez and Vidalia in Adams CountyPhoto: Christian Collins (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The wide Mississippi River seen from the bluff at Natchez, Adams CountyPhoto: Chris M Morris (CC BY 2.0)
Open cotton field ready for harvest beside a roadPhoto: carnavalet (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The wildlife management area is in Adams and Franklin counties. Roxie is the closest listed town, 10 miles off. Regional questions go to the South Regional Office.
Acreage on file is 16,407, with MDWFP in charge. Acres are from the agency record.
You do. Hunters who are not license-exempt must hold the WMA User Permit, which costs $15.00 for residents and $30.00 for non-residents. A few seasons are permit-only through the draw.
Hunters can take deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum and bobcat and trapping, according to the agency pages. The seasons page has the dates and bag limits.
Dates on file cover 16 season lines, opening Jul 1, 2026 and ending May 2, 2027. Deer account for 7 of them.
Draw tables name Sandy Creek WMA for 8 hunts and 200 permits. Apply during the window; bonus points build up after misses. The WMA draw hunts guide walks through the steps.
Here is the camping text from the source: Camping is allowed subject to US Forest Service regulations.
Quick form: dogs: deer dogs by area; ORVs and ATVs: forest service rules; horses: hunting from horseback. The brochure has the details.
Resident game hours begin a half hour before sunrise and end a half hour after sunset; migratory birds end at sunset; spring turkey has no printed hours. See the legal hours page.
The agency layer counts 0 positives out of 1,630 samples for its 2 counties; zone status covers 0 of 2. See the CWD zones page for feeding and carcass rules.
Neighbouring pins: Bob M. Dearing Natchez State Park WMA (13 miles), Caston Creek WMA (15 miles) and St. Catherine Creek NWR (16 miles).
Look to Roxie (10 miles), Cloverdale (15 miles) and Natchez (15 miles).
Yes. Record the deer on the daily use card or app before departing; a station collects the biological data.
Seasons, permits and closures for Sandy Creek WMA change during the year, and posted signs plus the managing agency outrank this page.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4 · source 5 · source 6; statewide seasons from the 2026-27 MDWFP hunting seasons sheet. Checked November 14, 2026.
Other photos on this page: NPS Photo (Public domain).