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Wildlife management area in Issaquena County and Warren County (17,689 acres, MDWFP).
Photo: Fuzzy Gerdes (CC BY 2.0)
Under MDWFP, Phil Bryant WMA serves as a wildlife management area wildlife management area spread across 17,689 acres in Issaquena and Warren counties. The shortest drive to an MDWFP office from Phil Bryant WMA leads to Jackson, 46 miles as the crow flies. Hunters can look for deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum and bobcat, trapping, waterfowl, woodcock and snipe here, per the agency sources.
The agency describes the place this way. MDWFP boundary layer names these units: Backwoods 1 (1,306 acres); Backwoods 2 (659 acres); Backwoods 3 (960 acres); Backwoods 4 (1,287 acres); Buck Bayou (3,163 acres); Gooselake (3,678 acres); Ten Point (6,477 acres).
From the agency records read on November 14, 2026: MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, source 3, MDWFP draw hunts.
Nearby
The statewide WMA User Permit costs $15.00 for a resident and $30.00 for a non-resident, and Phil Bryant WMA requires it of every user who is not license-exempt. On the resident price, the agent keeps $1.00 and processing adds $2.49. Licenses and stamps come separately from the WMA permit, so check the license guide too. Phil Bryant WMA holds 3 camp site, 1 data collection and 2 permit station, according to the facilities layer. Phil Bryant WMA has permit-only seasons; the draw hunts guide lays out applications and bonus points.
MDWFP price page and the area brochure (MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, source 3); checked November 14, 2026.
The mdwfp wma boundary layer puts the Phil Bryant WMA point at 32.4812, -90.9169. Of the towns on this site, Redwood is nearest, 7 miles out.
The agency's directions read as follows. See individual hunt unit pages for driving directions. For information, maps, and regulation on individual units of Phil Bryant WMA, see below. The permit station with cards is located at the west Ten Point check station on HWY 465. All Deer hunts are permit only.
From the area page and brochure (MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, source 3) and the MDWFP WMA boundary layer; checked November 14, 2026.
Phil Bryant WMA has 10 dated season lines this year, including 4 for deer. Season dates match the brochure; notes are abbreviated, so the PDF governs any exception.
| Season | From | To | Open or permit | Extra | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 29, 2026 | Permit | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Squirrel and rabbit | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 14, 2027 | Open | – | |
| Deer, gun | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | Permit | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Deer, youth and handicapped gun | Dec 24, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | Open | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Deer, senior adult | Jan 14, 2027 | Jan 15, 2027 | Permit | Antlerless, see limits | |
| Raccoon, opossum, bobcat | Jan 15, 2027 | Feb 28, 2027 | Open | Daily | |
| Squirrel and rabbit | Jan 15, 2027 | Feb 28, 2027 | Open | Daily | |
| Trapping | Jan 15, 2027 | Feb 28, 2027 | Open | – |
From the 2026-27 WMA brochure (Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks), brochure dated April 2026; checked November 14, 2026.
Add the draw tables for Phil Bryant WMA and you reach 5 hunts and 140 permits. Every draw type has its own application window; the table below lists those on file for this area. Bonus points began in 2026: one per year for each unsuccessful draw type, each worth an extra entry. The draw caps non-residents at ten percent of a hunt's permits.
| Draw | Hunts | Permits | First hunt | Last hunt | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey, 2026 | 4 | 40 | April 3 – 5 | April 24 – 26 | Held in 2026 |
| Deer Senior, 2026-27 | 1 | 100 | January 14 – 15 | January 14 – 15 | 2026-27 |
| Hunt | Apply from | Apply until |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | January 15 | January 31 |
| Deer | July 15 | August 15 |
36 of the 66 scheduled hunts remain after Nov 15, 2026.
| Hunt kind | Hunt no. | Dates | Permits | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group deer | Archery Hunt 1 | October 1 – 4 | Group | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 1 | October 1 – 2 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 1 | October 1 – 4 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 1 | October 1 – 4 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 2 | October 4 – 5 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Archery Hunt 2 | October 7 – 11 | Group | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 3 | October 8 – 9 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 2 | October 8 – 11 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 2 | October 8 – 11 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 4 | October 11 – 12 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Archery Hunt 3 | October 14 – 18 | Group | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 5 | October 15 – 16 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 3 | October 15 – 18 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 3 | October 15 – 18 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 6 | October 18 – 19 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Archery Hunt 4 | October 21 – 25 | Group | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 7 | October 22 – 23 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 4 | October 22 – 25 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 4 | October 22 – 25 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 8 | October 25 – 26 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Archery Hunt 5 | October 28 – November 1 | Group | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 9 | October 29 – 30 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 5 | October 29 – November 1 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 5 | October 29 – November 1 | 24 | |
| Group deer | Gun Hunt 1 | November 4 – 8 | Group | |
| Primitive deer | PW Hunt 1 | November 5 – 6 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 6 | November 5 – 8 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 6 | November 5 – 8 | 24 | |
| Primitive deer | PW Hunt 2 | November 8 – 9 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Gun Hunt 2 | November 11 – 15 | Group | |
| Primitive deer | PW Hunt 3 | November 12 – 13 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 7 | November 12 – 15 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 7 | November 12 – 15 | 24 | |
| Primitive deer | PW Hunt 4 | November 15 – 16 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Gun Hunt 3 | November 18 – 22 | Group | |
| Primitive deer | PW Hunt 5 | November 19 – 20 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 8 | November 19 – 22 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 8 | November 19 – 22 | 24 | |
| Primitive deer | PW Hunt 6 | November 22 – 23 | 12 | |
| Primitive deer | PW Hunt 7 | November 26 – 27 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 9 | November 26 – 29 | 24 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 9 | November 26 – 29 | 24 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 1 | December 3 – 4 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 10 | December 3 – 6 | 24 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 1 | December 3 – 6 | 24 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 2 | December 6 – 7 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Gun Hunt 4 | December 9 – 13 | Group | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 3 | December 10 – 11 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 11 | December 10 – 13 | 24 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 2 | December 10 – 13 | 24 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 4 | December 13 – 14 | 12 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 5 | December 17 – 18 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 12 | December 17 – 20 | 24 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 3 | December 17 – 20 | 24 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 6 | December 20 – 21 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Gun Hunt 5 | December 23 – 27 | Group | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 7 | December 24 – 25 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 13 | December 24 – 27 | 24 | |
| Youth deer | Youth Hunt 1 | December 24 – 27 | 24 | |
| Gun deer | Gun Hunt 8 | December 27 – 28 | 12 | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 14 | December 31 – January 3 | 24 | |
| Mobility impaired | Mobility Impaired Hunt 1 | December 31 – January 3 | 12 | |
| Group deer | Gun Hunt 6 | January 6 – 10 | Group | |
| Archery deer | Archery Hunt 15 | January 7 – 10 | 24 | |
| Youth deer | Youth Hunt 2 | January 7 – 10 | 24 | |
| Senior deer | Senior Hunt 1 | January 14 – 15 | 100 |
From the MDWFP WMA draw hunts page and its schedules (Turkey table, Deer Senior table); bonus points and the non-resident cap from the bonus point page; checked November 14, 2026. Deer draw hunts statewide.
Rule 1.1, which every 2026-27 brochure prints, adds statewide WMA safety and conduct rules on top of these area rules. For the shared rule text, see the WMA hub.
| Heading | Text as printed |
|---|---|
| Scouting (brochure) | Ten Point and Goose Lake Units: Scouting is allowed daily prior to October 1, and on any small game hunting days thereafter. Only those persons drawn to hunt are allowed on the units during permitted hunts. |
| High water (brochure) | Phil Bryant WMA will be closed to all activities, except waterfowl hunting, when the Mississippi River gauge at Vicksburg reaches 43 ft. and shall remain so until the Mississippi River level falls to or below 41.0 ft. and/or when the Steele Bayou landside gauge reaches 82.0 ft. and shall remain closed until the Steele Bayou level falls to or below 80ft. |
| Parking (brochure) | Buck Bayou visitors must park in the Buck Bayou Unit parking area only. See map for location. Visitors from Buck Bayou Unit and Mahannah WMA may not park at Backwoods Units Campsites between October 1 – January 31. |
| Waterfowl (brochure) | Ten Point and Goose Lake Units are open to waterfowl hunting, no draw, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays during the statewide waterfowl season. Shooting hours end at 12 pm for all hunt units. Waterfowl hunters must check-out by 1 pm except during the youth/ veteran/ active military waterfowl hunt which shall run concurrent with the statewide waterfowl youth/ veteran/ active military hunt. |
From the 2026-27 area brochure and the MDWFP area page (MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, source 3); Rule 1.1 and area texts; checked November 14, 2026.
Phil Bryant WMA is divided into 4 units that each have a page: Phil Bryant WMA Ten Point Unit, Phil Bryant WMA Buck Bayou Unit, Phil Bryant WMA Goose Lake Unit and Phil Bryant WMA Backwoods Unit. Check the unit page before applying: hunts are scheduled unit by unit.
| Unit | Acres | Draws | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Bryant WMA Ten Point Unit | 6,477 | 15 | 10 |
| Phil Bryant WMA Buck Bayou Unit | 3,163 | 24 | 13 |
| Phil Bryant WMA Goose Lake Unit | 3,678 | 15 | 8 |
| Phil Bryant WMA Backwoods Unit | 4,212 | – | 12 |
CWD management zones touch 2 of the 2 counties behind Phil Bryant WMA: Issaquena Management Zone. The MDWFP county layer shows 13 CWD positives among 3,924 samples for the 2 counties of Phil Bryant WMA. Counts on the layer are undated, so we label them cumulative. Issaquena and Warren: supplemental feeding is prohibited. The unit a hunt falls in depends on where it lies relative to highways and rivers, not the county. More detail: CWD zones, CWD by county, deer management units.
| County | Region label | District | Zone status | Feed rule | Positive of tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issaquena | Central | 4 | Part of county | Banned | 3 of 1,220 |
| Warren | Central | 4 | Whole county | Banned | 10 of 2,704 |
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.
Migratory birds must be done at sunset, half an hour before deer hunters must stop, and the waterfowl column for Phil Bryant WMA makes that gap easy to see.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Gun and bow | Flyway birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Archery, Delta and Hills | 6:57 a.m. | 6:50 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. |
| Oct 15, 2026 | Archery, Southeast | 7:06 a.m. | 6:32 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 7:02 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 6:32 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Youth gun deer | 6:26 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 5:56 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 5:56 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opens | 6:38 a.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 6:08 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | 6:08 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. |
| Nov 26, 2026 | Quail season opens | 6:43 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Nov 27, 2026 | Duck season opens | 6:44 a.m. | 4:59 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:29 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. |
| Dec 2, 2026 | Primitive weapon deer | 6:48 a.m. | 4:59 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 5:29 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Year's shortest day | 7:01 a.m. | 5:02 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. |
| Mar 15, 2027 | Turkey season opens | 7:16 a.m. | 7:11 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 7:41 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 7:11 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.
Head northeast about 5 miles to reach Mahannah WMA, the nearest neighbour. By type, the six nearest neighbours count as 4 WMA, 1 national forest and 1 ranger district. Every figure is a straight-line distance from the Phil Bryant WMA point, not a drive.
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahannah WMA | WMA | 12,695 | Issaquena | 5 miles | northeast |
| Delta National Forest | National forest | 61,472 | Sharkey | 21 miles | northeast |
| Delta Ranger District | Ranger district | 61,472 | Sharkey | 21 miles | northeast |
| Lake George WMA | WMA | 8,000 | Yazoo | 24 miles | northeast |
| Shipland WMA | WMA | 3,642 | Issaquena | 24 miles | northwest |
| Howard Miller WMA | WMA | 2,545 | Issaquena | 24 miles | north |
Point from the MDWFP WMA boundary layer; straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Within 25 miles of Phil Bryant WMA you can reach five towns with pages on this site. Vicksburg has the most residents, 20,032 by the 2024 Census estimate. Phil Bryant WMA in Vicksburg is the nearest freezer for deer heads, 4 miles out.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Compass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redwood | Warren | – | 7 miles | east |
| Eagle Bend | Warren | – | 7 miles | northwest |
| Valley Park | Issaquena | – | 11 miles | north |
| Vicksburg | Warren | 20,032 | 11 miles | south |
| Satartia | Yazoo | 38 | 25 miles | northeast |
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.
Steel bridge across the Mississippi River at Vicksburg from the bluff, Warren CountyPhoto: Rob Shenk (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Yazoo River at sunset with reeds in the foreground, Warren CountyPhoto: David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Bridges over the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Warren CountyPhoto: Mike P. (CC BY 2.0)
You will find Phil Bryant WMA in Issaquena and Warren counties. Drive toward Redwood, the closest town, 7 miles from the point.
The record lists 17,689 acres, and MDWFP is the manager. That figure is taken from the MDWFP boundary layer.
Yes. Besides the license, the statewide WMA User Permit is mandatory ($15.00 resident, $30.00 non-resident). Several seasons are limited to drawn hunters.
The sources list deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum and bobcat, trapping, waterfowl, woodcock and snipe. Season dates for each are on the hunting seasons page.
10 season rows are dated in the brochure; the earliest opens Jul 1, 2026 (raccoon) and the latest closes Feb 28, 2027. The deer seasons number 4.
The draw tables show 5 hunts and 140 permits. Applications run in fixed windows, and each missed draw earns a bonus point. The WMA draw hunts guide answers the rest.
Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset covers resident game, migratory birds stop at sunset, and no spring turkey hours are printed. County times sit on the hours page.
MDWFP's county layer shows 13 positives in 3,924 samples for its 2 counties, and 2 of 2 counties sit inside a CWD management zone. Carcass and feeding limits are on the CWD zones page.
Nearby you will find Mahannah WMA (5 miles), Delta National Forest (21 miles) and Delta Ranger District (21 miles).
The closest three towns are Redwood (7 miles), Eagle Bend (7 miles) and Valley Park (11 miles), each with a page on this site.
4 units have pages: Phil Bryant WMA Ten Point Unit, Phil Bryant WMA Buck Bayou Unit, Phil Bryant WMA Goose Lake Unit and Phil Bryant WMA Backwoods Unit.
Carry your license and any permit the area needs, and check with the managers for closures before you set off for Phil Bryant WMA.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; statewide seasons from the 2026-27 MDWFP hunting seasons sheet. Checked November 14, 2026.
Other photos on this page: PaulAdamsPhotography (CC BY 2.0).