Calendar of Events

Jump to: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

January

• Sunday, January 1, 2012 is the last day of deer muzzleloader season
• Begining Monday, January 2, 2012 hunting for squirrels and rabbits with our without dogs is permitted on the refuge
• Also on Monday, January 2, 2012 the Cottonmouth Unit CLOSES for all hunting.
• The office will be closed on Monday, January 16, 2012 in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• The first Friends Group Meeting of the year will be held at 5:30pm on Monday, January 23, 2012. It will be held at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians in Natchez, MS.
• Deer archery season closes on Monday, January 31, 2012
• Bald Ealge nesting and present on area lakes
• Great Horned owls nesting
• Peak waterfowl hunting

February

• Fishing is permitted on the refuge begining February 1st
• On Monday, February 29, 2012 ATV trails close, as does hunting for squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons
• Red maple blooms
• Woodcock nesting
• Elms bloom
• Wood Duck paired up and looking for nesting sites
• Red-tailed Hawks nesting

March

• Turkeys gobbling
• Eagles nesting
• Bass spawn, according to water temperature
• Redbud, crabapple, wild plum and dogwood are in bloom
• Wood Ducks are nesting
• Rattlesnakes emerge from their dens
• Woodcock migrate back north
• Black vultures nesting

April

• Wild Azalea, red buckeye, pawpaw bloom
• Wood Duck ducklings visible
• Bull frogs croaking & mating
• Turtles become active
• Doves begin nesting
• Shad running in river
• Turkeys are nesting
• Pelicans congregating on refuge
• Songbirds migrating north
• Shorebirds migrating north

May

• Mississippi Kites migrating
• Bluegill spawning
• Catfish spawning
• Heron rookeries start to become active
• Bluebird & Prothonotary Warbler nesting
• Alligators active
• Chuck-will's widow calling
• Black-necked stilts congregating on mud flats
• Songbird migration ends by mid-May

June

• Annual Use Permit's from the 2011 - 2012 season expire on June 30, 2012. Be sure to get next year's permit from the refuge headquarters, or by mail!
• Migratory Bird Day & National Trails Day - June 23, 2012. (Click on NEWS tab for more information)
• Queen Ann's lace bloom
• Maypops bloom
• Turkey with young visible
• Grey squirrels with young visible
• Bobwhite quail calling and nesting
• Roseate Spoonbills present
• Eaglets leaving the nest

July

• Purple martins leave nest
• Black-eyed Susans bloom
• Whitetail deer begin dropping fawns in late July
• Cormorants on area lakes
• Impoundments are flooded for shorebirds
• Shorebirds begin migrating South

August

• Whitetail deer with young visible
• Wood storks present on area lakes
• Alligators very visible
• Blue-wing Teal migrating
• Shorebirds migrating South
• Herons & Egrets feeding on area lakes and impoundments
• Fall (Southbound) songbird migration begins

September

• Shorebirds migrating
• Broad-winged hawks migrating
• Blue-winged Teal pass through
• Rattlesnakes begin to hibernate
• Herons & Egrets feeding on area lakes and impoundments
• Fall (Southbound) songbird migration begins

October

• Deer archery hunting opens on October 1, 2012
• Friends Group meeting will be held at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians in Natchez, MS at 5:30pm on Monday, October 22, 2012 - Last meeting of the year due to holidays!
• National Wildlife Refuge Week Celebration October 13, 2012 9:00am - 2:00pm
• Hickory nuts falling
• Start of peak Fall songbird migration
• Acorns falling
• Squirrels barking
• Wild persimmons ripening
• Fall colors showing
• Begin flooding waterfowl impoundments
• First appearances of Bald Eagle usually reported

November

• Youth Gun Hunt (Deer) 1st 7 Days of State Youth Gun Hunt Season . ALL OTHER HUNTING IS CLOSED DURING THE YOUTH GUN HUNT WEEK.
• On Thursday, November 12th the office will be closed for Veteran's Day.
• The last day for fishing on the refuge, as well as small game hunting (no dogs) will be Friday, November 16, 2012
• Deer muzzleloader season opens on Saturday, November 17, 2012
• The office will be closed from Thursday, November 22nd through Sunday, November 25th for Thanksgiving weekend.
• No Friends Group Meeting will be held this month due to the holidays
• End of season for flowering plants
• Peak of Fall colors
• Expect killing frost
• Woodcock flights arrive from North
• Wintering Bald Eagles visible near impoundments
• Waterfowl numbers build

December

• The office will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, December 24-25, 2012 for the Christmas holiday.
• No Friends Group Meeting will be held this month due to the holidays
• Deer in rut
• Late acorns falling
• Great Horned Owls begin nesting
• Bald Eagle present on area lakes