Divide Section WMA: 2026-27 seasons, rules and deer harvest

Divide Section WMA is 15,300 acres of public hunting land in Tishomingo and Prentiss counties, run by MDWFP. Hunters checked 25 deer on it in the 2024-25 season (9 bucks, 16 does), by MDWFP's DMAP report; over 10 seasons the area averaged 29 a season. Its 2026-27 brochure sets 4 kinds of deer hunt: archery, youth gun, gun and primitive weapon, with archery Oct. 1 to Nov. 20.

Data updated October 2026. Seasons and rules: MDWFP's 2026-27 WMA brochure. Harvest: MDWFP's DMAP report for the area, to 2024-25.

When are the 2026-27 seasons on Divide Section WMA?

Turkey: Youth turkey: Mar. 8 to Mar. 14; see Jackson Camp Peninsula turkey hunting under the area's rules below. Turkey (permit only): Mar. 15 to Mar. 31; see turkey permits under the area's rules below. Turkey: Apr. 1 to May 2; see Jackson Camp Peninsula turkey hunting under the area's rules below.

Small game and other seasons: Youth squirrel Sept. 24 to Sept. 30; Squirrel Oct. 1 to Feb. 28, May 15 to June 1; Rabbit Oct. 17 to Feb. 28; Raccoon July 1 to Sept. 30 (Friday and Saturday nights only); Raccoon, opossum Oct. 1 to Feb. 28; Trapping Nov. 1 to Feb. 28.

Source: MDWFP, Divide Section Wildlife Management Area 2026-27 regulations.

How many deer are taken on Divide Section WMA?

Hunters checked 25 deer on Divide Section WMA in the 2024-25 season. Over the 10 seasons in MDWFP's report the area averaged 29 deer a season.

Source: MDWFP DMAP report, Divide Section WMA, harvest history table.

What rules apply on Divide Section WMA?

• Legal bucks: Legal bucks are those with an inside spread of at least 12 inches OR one main beam length of at least 15 inches. For hunters 15 years of age or younger any antlered buck is a legal buck.
• Bag limits: Same as statewide bag limits, except the bag limit on antlerless deer is one (1) per day and for permitted turkey hunts the bag limit is one gobbler per permitted hunter.
• Checking deer: All deer harvested must be checked at a check station and recorded on WMA Daily Use Permit Card or 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 biological data (how much the deer weighs, antler measurements and jawbone). Instructions and equipment will be provided. All antlerless deer heads harvested on Divide Section WMA must be deposited in a CWD Collection Freezer or submitted to WMA staff for CWD sampling.
• Dogs: Deer hunting with dogs is prohibited. Small game hunting with dogs is allowed during any small game season. Hunting, running, or pursuing hogs with the use of dogs is prohibited.
• Legal weapons for deer: Only centerfire rifles, shotguns with slugs, primitive weapons, and centerfire handguns may be used for deer hunting.
• Turkey permits: Turkey hunting from March 15-31 is allowed by special permit only on Divide Section WMA. You may apply online at mdwfp.com. See application for hunt dates, application deadlines, and other information about permitted hunts.
• Jackson Camp Peninsula turkey hunting: Only youth and handicapped hunters will be allowed to turkey hunt this area on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. Handicapped hunters will be allowed ATV and vehicular access on those days, and youth hunters will be allowed ATV access. On Wednesday through Saturday of each week, all hunters are allowed to hunt but access will be by foot traffic only. All handicapped hunters must pre-register by contacting the Jackson Office (601-432-2199).
• Youth, handicapped and archery deer hunting: Only youth, handicapped, and archery hunters are allowed to deer hunt on the Jackson Camp Peninsula. Only youth and handicapped hunters on the Jackson Camp Peninsula will be allowed ATV access each day of the deer seasons. Only handicapped hunters will be allowed vehicular access on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays during the gun and primitive weapon seasons. All handicapped hunters must pre-register by contacting the Jackson Office (601-432-2199).
• ATVs and off-road vehicles: ORVs/ATVs/Electric bicycles are not allowed.
• Camping: No camping allowed.
• Horses: Horseback riding is prohibited during WMA deer and turkey seasons; at all other times horseback riding is restricted to hard surface roads. No hunting from horses.

From MDWFP's 2026-27 brochure for the area. The brochure and 40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2 are the final word.

How do you get to Divide Section WMA?

From the intersection of Hwy 72 and Hwy. 25 in Iuka, travel south on Hwy. 25 for 4.4 miles. Turn west on Hwy. 364, and go 4.0 miles. The WMA headquarters is on the right. MDWFP gives the headquarters at 34.724775, -88.291836.

Highways through the area: MS 364 and US 72. Nearest towns: Paden (next to it), Burnsville (next to it), Tishomingo (2 miles) and Iuka (5 miles).

The closest other Mississippi WMAs with a page here: Canal Section WMA (4.1 miles), John Bell Williams WMA (5.4 miles), Tuscumbia WMA (15.8 miles) and Hell Creek WMA (38.8 miles).

Directions, headquarters GPS and headquarters phone: MDWFP's brochure. Highways and towns measured by FilledTag on U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 roads and U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer.

Questions hunters ask

When is deer season on Divide Section WMA in 2026-27?

MDWFP's 2026-27 brochure for Divide Section WMA lists these deer hunts: Archery, Oct. 1 to Nov. 20; Youth Gun, Nov. 7 to Nov. 20; Gun, Nov. 21 to Dec. 1; Primitive Weapon, Dec. 2 to Dec. 15; Gun, Dec. 16 to Jan. 20; Primitive Weapon, Jan. 21 to Jan. 31.

What is a legal buck on Divide Section WMA?

Legal bucks are those with an inside spread of at least 12 inches OR one main beam length of at least 15 inches. For hunters 15 years of age or younger any antlered buck is a legal buck.

How many deer were killed on Divide Section WMA last season?

Hunters checked 25 deer on Divide Section WMA in the 2024-25 season: 9 bucks and 16 does, by MDWFP's DMAP report. The 10-season average is 29.

Can you hunt deer with dogs on Divide Section WMA?

No. MDWFP's brochure says deer hunting with dogs is prohibited on Divide Section WMA. Its dog rules: Small game hunting with dogs is allowed during any small game season. Hunting, running, or pursuing hogs with the use of dogs is prohibited.

What county is Divide Section WMA in?

Tishomingo County (15,554 acres) and Prentiss County (256 acres), measured on MDWFP's boundary map. Those county figures come from the boundary map, which measures 15,810 acres in all; MDWFP's DMAP report gives the area as 15,300 acres.

What you need to hunt a Mississippi WMA

Unless exempt from buying a license, everyone hunting, fishing or trapping on a WMA must carry an annual statewide Wildlife Management Area User Permit, on top of the right license, and must check in and out with the Daily Visitor Use Permit card or the MDWFP WMA Check-In app. Hunters must wear 500 square inches of fluorescent orange or pink during any firearm season for deer. Full rules: MDWFP WMA rules (40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2).

Where these numbers come from

• Seasons, rules, directions: MDWFP's 2026-27 brochure for each WMA (MDWFP Wildlife Management Areas).
• Deer harvest and DMAP acres: MDWFP Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) reports.
• Boundary: MDWFP WMA property boundaries. Counties, highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer. National forest and refuges: U.S. Forest Service land ownership; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundaries.

FilledTag is not part of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Numbers are copied from MDWFP or measured from public maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.

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