Dahomey
Benoit, MS 38725
Plan Your Visit
Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge offers opportunities to hunt, fish, birdwatch, hike, and enjoy the outdoors. The refuge is open from sunrise to sunset. During hunting season, hunters may enter the refuge two hours before sunrise and must exit the refuge no later than two hours after sunset.
All hunters and anglers should read and follow the current Hunting and Fishing Regulations and complete a harvest report card. Report cards are available at all refuge kiosks.
All visitors must wear at least 500 square inches of visible fluorescent orange above the waistline during all hunting seasons. See Hunting and Fishing Regulations for exceptions.
All hunters and anglers should read and follow the current Hunting and Fishing Regulations and complete a harvest report card and display it on the dash of the vehicle so that the name is legible and clearly visible from the outside. Report cards are available at all refuge kiosks.
To Visitor Center: The refuge lies north and south of Highway 446. Refuge headquarters are located on the north side of Highway 446, eleven miles west of Highway 61 and four miles east of Highway 1. This building is not currently staffed.
To Administration Office: The refuge is administered by the North Mississippi National Wildlife Refuges Complex, which is located at 2776 Sunset Drive, Grenada, MS 38901. From I-55, take exit 206 for Grenada. Head west on Highway 8 and the office is approximately one mile on the north side of the highway.
- From Cleveland: From the intersection of Highways 8 and 61, go south on Highway 61 approximately 3 miles. Turn right onto Highway 446. Proceed west 10.5 miles. The headquarters will be on your right.
- From Greenville: From the intersection of Highways 1 and 82, go north on Highway 1 24.5 miles. Turn right onto Highway 446. Proceed east approximately 4.6 miles. The headquarters will be on your left.
Activities
Get Involved
Discover for yourself what tens of thousands of volunteers have learned: Volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is fun and rewarding in many ways. The refuge works with the Friends of Dahomey, Inc., and other volunteers to maintain the butterfly garden and complete various wildlife habitat projects. For more information, contact the refuge manager at (662) 226-8286.
Services
Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge uses several tools to accomplish its resource management goals including moist-soil management, invasive species management, and reforestation. The refuge has also been a site for research projects conducted by colleges, universities, and other federal agencies. In addition, the refuge offers an abundance of opportunities to hunt, fish, birdwatch, hike, and enjoy the outdoors.
About
Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge is the largest remaining tract of bottomland hardwood forest in northwest Mississippi outside of the mainline levee. Located within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, in the Yazoo River drainage basin, the refuge was established in 1991 to provide habitat for migratory birds and to protect wetlands, with an emphasis on waterfowl and bottomland hardwoods.
The 9,691-acre refuge was purchased from The Nature Conservancy, donated by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, and leased from the West Bolivar School Board. The North Mississippi Refuges Complex administers Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge, along with Coldwater River and Tallahatchie refuges.
Learn more about us with our Fact Sheet or the North Mississippi Complex General Brochure.