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WMA · 50,485 acres
Wildlife management area in Lafayette County and 2 more counties, about 50,485 acres and managed by MDWFP.
Photo: Matthew Nichols (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The wildlife management area called Upper Sardis WMA holds 50,485 acres across 3 counties including Lafayette, Marshall and Union and answers to MDWFP. The 2026-27 brochure for Upper Sardis WMA names the North Regional Office as the regional contact. Upper Sardis WMA carries the following game in its record: deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum and bobcat, trapping and waterfowl.
From the agency records read on November 14, 2026: MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, WMA brochure, source 4.
Nearby
Plot Upper Sardis WMA at 34.4190, -89.3277, the point on the MDWFP WMA boundary layer. Bethlehem is the closest town with a page here, 11 miles in a straight line.
Directions as the agency prints them. Instructions And Equipment Will Be Provided.: From the intersection of Highway 7 and Highway 30 at Oxford, go 10 miles east on Highway 30. The WMA headquarters is on the 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 2026-27 brochure for Upper Sardis WMA prints 15 dated season rows: 6 for deer and 9 for other game. The brochure PDF outranks this table whenever a note looks too short.
| Season | Opens | Closes | Entry | Notes | 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 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 | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Deer, primitive weapon | Dec 2, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 | Open | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Deer, gun | Dec 16, 2026 | Jan 20, 2027 | Open | Antlerless and bucks | |
| Deer, primitive weapon | Jan 21, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | Open | Antlerless and bucks | |
| 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.
Before you step onto Upper Sardis WMA, buy the annual WMA User Permit ($15.00 resident, $30.00 non-resident) unless you are exempt from licensing. Fees printed beside the resident price: $1.00 agent and $2.49 process. Add any license or stamp the game requires; the license page lists them. The MDWFP point layer maps these features on Upper Sardis WMA: 2 data collection, 1 headquarters and 5 permit station. Drawn hunts are part of the picture at Upper Sardis WMA, covered on the draw hunts page.
| Contact | Listed value |
|---|---|
| Phone | (601) 432-2199, (662) 563-6222 |
| northwestwmas@wfp.ms.gov | |
| HQ GPS | 34.4193, -89.3286 |
MDWFP price page and the area brochure (MDWFP area page, MDWFP WMA list, WMA brochure); checked November 14, 2026.
Plan your deer rig around centerfire rifles, slug shotguns, primitive weapons and centerfire handguns, the weapons the brochure names. Bucks must show 10 inches between the main beams or a 13 inch main beam, except that youth 15 and under may take any antlered buck. Every brochure repeats Rule 1.1, the general WMA safety and conduct rule, so it applies here as well. The WMA hub page sets Rule 1.1 out in one place.
| Topic | Condensed |
|---|---|
| Camping | Forest Service rules |
| Horses | Hunting from horseback |
| Dogs | Small game only |
| ORVs and ATVs | Forest Service rules |
| Legal buck | 10 in. spread or 13 in. beam |
| Bag limits | Statewide, with exceptions |
| Topic | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Bag limits | Same as statewide bag limits, except the bag limit on antlerless deer is one (1) per day and one of the three (3) bucks may be any antlered deer on Upper Sardis, and for permitted turkey hunts the bag limit is one gobbler per permitted hunter. ALL harvested deer and turkey count towards statewide bag limits, unless otherwise stated. |
| 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 the 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 biolog- ical data (weight, antler measurements, and jawbone). |
| Turkey | Turkey hunting for March 15 to March 31 is allowed by special permit only on Upper Sardis. You may apply online at mdwfp.com. |
| Dogs | Hog hunting with dogs is allowed during daylight hours only during February 1 to February 28 with weapons legal for small game. Driving Directions: From the intersection of Highway 7 and Highway 30 at Oxford, go 10 miles east on Highway 30. The WMA headquarters is on the right. |
| ORVs | Off-road vehicle use will be governed by US Army Corps of Engineers regulations on property owned by the Corps within Upper Sardis WMA. Except for retrieval of harvested deer or hogs, no motorized vehicles, including electric bicycles, are allowed off-road or on closed roads on US Forest Service-owned portion of Upper Sardis WMA or the US |
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.
320 permits are spread over 8 hunts in the draw tables that name Upper Sardis WMA. Apply inside the printed window for the draw type you want; they are listed beneath. After an unsuccessful application you receive a bonus point for that draw type, worth one extra entry in a later draw. No more than one permit in ten of a hunt's quota can go to a non-resident.
| Draw type | Hunts | Quota | Opens | Ends | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey, 2026 | 8 | 320 | March 14 – 15 | March 29 – 31 | Held in 2026 |
| Draw | Applications open | Applications close |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Hunters reported 39 deer from Upper Sardis WMA in the 2025 DMAP report (27 bucks, 12 does). The density figure on the report is 1294 acres per deer on 50,485 acres. In spring 2025 hunters at Upper Sardis WMA logged 1,093 man-days and took 60 turkeys. Back one year, the table lists 1,135 man-days and 68 birds, against ten-year averages of 1,109 and 44.
Only reported animals are in these agency totals.
From 2025 DMAP report and the spring 2025 WMA turkey totals; checked November 14, 2026.
3 of the 3 counties are inside a CWD management zone (North MS Management Zone). Samples tested for the 3 counties of Upper Sardis WMA: 5,652, with 197 positives, per the MDWFP county layer. The layer prints no season or date, so read the counts as running totals from the day we looked. Supplemental feeding is banned in Lafayette, Marshall and Union counties. MDWFP assigns Marshall to the North Central unit by name. Details are on the CWD zones page, the county results page and the deer units page.
| County | Region | MDWFP district | Zone | Supplemental feed | CWD positives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | North | 9 | Whole county | Banned | 3 of 1,326 |
| Marshall | North | 9 | Whole county | Banned | 192 of 3,106 |
| Union | North | 9 | Whole county | Banned | 2 of 1,220 |
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.
The sources print no separate spring turkey hours, so this Upper Sardis WMA table covers deer and waterfowl days only.
| Day | Note | Sunup | Sundown | Deer day | Duck day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Archery, Delta and Hills | 6:51 a.m. | 6:43 p.m. | 6:21 a.m. to 7:13 p.m. | 6:21 a.m. to 6:43 p.m. |
| Oct 15, 2026 | Archery, Southeast | 7:02 a.m. | 6:24 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Youth gun deer | 6:22 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 5:52 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 5:52 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opens | 6:36 a.m. | 4:51 p.m. | 6:06 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. | 6:06 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. |
| Nov 26, 2026 | Quail season opens | 6:41 a.m. | 4:49 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 4:49 p.m. |
| Nov 27, 2026 | Duck season opens | 6:42 a.m. | 4:49 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 4:49 p.m. |
| Dec 2, 2026 | Primitive weapon deer | 6:46 a.m. | 4:48 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Year's shortest day | 7:00 a.m. | 4:51 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. |
| Mar 15, 2027 | Turkey season opens | 7:10 a.m. | 7:04 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 7:34 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 7:04 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.
Holly Springs National Forest lies 17 miles north of the Upper Sardis WMA point, the closest alternative. Around the point you will find 4 WMA, 1 national forest and 1 ranger district. Miles are measured as the crow flies from the Upper Sardis WMA point; roads add to them.
| Nearby | Type | Acres | County | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Springs National Forest | National forest | 156,210 | Benton | 17 miles | north |
| Holly Springs Ranger District | Ranger district | 156,210 | Benton | 17 miles | north |
| Hell Creek WMA | WMA | 2,344 | Tippah | 20 miles | northeast |
| Chickasaw WMA | WMA | 28,000 | Chickasaw | 37 miles | southeast |
| George P. Cossar State Park WMA | WMA | 460 | Yalobusha | 37 miles | southwest |
| Charles Ray Nix WMA | WMA | 4,000 | Panola | 38 miles | west |
Point from the MDWFP WMA boundary layer; straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
The nearest five towns stretch from 11 miles out to 18 miles from Upper Sardis WMA. With 26,801 residents in 2024, Oxford is the largest nearby. Deer heads for CWD testing can go to Fire Station 1 (Oxford), 12 miles from here in Oxford.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem | Marshall | – | 11 miles | north |
| Oxford | Lafayette | 26,801 | 13 miles | west |
| Hickory Flat | Benton | 492 | 16 miles | northeast |
| Potts Camp | Marshall | 398 | 16 miles | north |
| New Albany | Union | 7,729 | 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.
Calm water and shoreline at Puskus Lake in the Holly Springs National ForestPhoto: Fredlyfish4 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Open cotton field ready for harvest beside a roadPhoto: carnavalet (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Tractor plowing a cotton field near EvansvillePhoto: Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel (CC BY 2.0)
Upper Sardis WMA lies across 3 counties including Lafayette, Marshall and Union, as a wildlife management area under MDWFP. Bethlehem is 11 miles away, the shortest hop to a town. The brochure names the North Regional Office as the regional contact.
It is 50,485 acres of wildlife management area under MDWFP. The number is from the agency record.
Yes. The annual statewide WMA User Permit is required of everyone except those exempt from licensing: $15.00 for residents and $30.00 for non-residents. Some hunts here also need a drawn permit.
Game on file: deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum and bobcat, trapping and waterfowl. Dates for every species are on the seasons page.
Brochure seasons run from Jul 1, 2026 (raccoon) to May 2, 2027 (turkey), 15 rows in all. 6 rows are for deer.
8 drawn hunts and 320 permits are on the schedules. You apply online within the type's window; unsuccessful applicants collect bonus points. The WMA draw hunts guide has the schedule rules.
Per the record: Camping is allowed subject to US Forest Service regulations.
The rules in brief are dogs: small game only; ORVs and ATVs: forest service rules; horses: hunting from horseback; exceptions are in the brochure.
Deer and other resident game: half an hour before sunrise until half an hour past sunset. Ducks, geese and doves: until sunset. Spring turkey hours are not printed in the sources. Look up your date on the hours page.
For its 3 counties the layer lists 5,652 samples and 197 positives; 3 of 3 counties are in a zone. The CWD zones page has the rules.
The next public lands on the map are Holly Springs National Forest (17 miles), Holly Springs Ranger District (17 miles) and Hell Creek WMA (20 miles).
The three closest are Bethlehem (11 miles), Oxford (13 miles) and Hickory Flat (16 miles).
Every deer is recorded before you leave the area, on the card or in the app, with biological data taken at a check station.
Seasons, permits and closures for Upper Sardis 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: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).