Get out your calender and your red ink pen. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has released dates for the upcoming fall and winter hunting seasons.

The five-member Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks approved the hunting seasons and bag limits at a meeting in Jackson.

While most of the dates open hunting seasons throughout the state, turkey hunters might be disappointed to find out that gobblers are strictly off limits in some areas.

&uot;Some of those areas that are closed are trying to stock turkeys,&uot; Bill Lunsford, a technical guidance coordinator for the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, said. &uot;We just feel like we need one more year to get the turkey population up to hunting levels in these areas.&uot;

Fall turkey season will open on Nov. 3 and will run through Nov. 11, but hunting will be allowed in only a few areas.

Those areas include: Bolivar County, west of the main Mississippi River levee and those lands east of the Mississippi River levee known as the 27 Break Hunting Club; Coahoma County; DeSoto County: Issaquena County; Tunica County; Washington County and Warren County, on Davis Island, King’s Point and Brown’s Point.

The limit for fall turkey is two turkeys (either sex) per season.

Spring turkey season will be open March 23, 2002 through May 1 in all areas of the state except: Itawamba County, north of U.S. 78 and west of Hwy. 371 and Hwy. 363; Lee County; and Prentiss County, east of Hwy. 145, north of 370 and Hwy. 366, west of Hwy. 371 and south of Hwy. 30.

The bag limit for spring turkey is one adult gobbler per day and three per season.

Much like turkey, white tail deer dates are set by statute and fall at approximately the same time each year, according to Lunsford.

&uot;Spring turkey season always starts on the Saturday closest to March 21, and deer season starts the Saturday closest to Oct. 1,&uot; he said.

This year the start of deer season falls exactly on Oct. 21, with archers having run of the woods until Nov. 17 when everyone is allowed, including dogs until Dec. 1.

Primitive weapon season is from Dec. 2 until Dec. 15, when gun hunting (without dogs) gets one more chance, until Dec. 23. Dogs return Dec. 24 to Jan. 16, before archers and primitive weapon hunters close out that deer season from Jan. 17 to Jan. 31.

Other hunting season dates are as follows:

Opossum, raccoon and bobcat – October 2 to Oct. 31, and Nov. 1 until Feb. 28. Trapping from Nov. 1 until Feb. 28.

Frogs -April 6, 2002, until Sept. 22.

Bobwhite Quail – Nov. 22 until March 2.

Rabbit – Oct. 13 until Feb. 28.

Squirrel – Zone 1, areas north of U.S. 82 plus portions of Sunflower ad Washington County south of U.S. 82, Sept. 29, 2001 until Feb. 28. Zone 2, areas between U.S. 82 and U.S. 84 plus portions of state south of U.S. 84 and west of I-55, Oct. 13 until Feb. 28. Zone 3, areas south of U.S. 84 and east of I-55, Oct. 27 until Feb. 28.