Okatoma: Welcome

Buckatunna Creek

Buckatunna Creek is a major tributary to the Chikasawhey River. It's headwaters rise to the south of Toomsuba, MS, and it drains approximately 492 sq. miles of territory. The creek winds its way roughly parallel to the Mississippi-Alabama State line until it empties into the Chikasawhey a couple of miles south of Buckatunna, MS, the town that bears its name.

The creek's name is derrived from a Chocktaw word meaning "creek at which there is weaving." (Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-60473-483-6.)

LANDINGS - DIRECTIONS

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Okatoma: Pro Gallery

Dyess Bridge Rd. to Denham Progress Rd.

BUKATUNNA CREEK

DYESS BRIDGE RD. TO DENHAM PROGRESS RD.

Launch – Dyess Bridge Rd. (Dirt drive to steep primitive landing)

Landing - Denham Progress Rd. (Gravel drive to parking area and concrete boat ramp)

Distance - 5.6 miles

Time - 2.5 hours

Features (in order)-

Mill Creek - @ mile 3.16 On Right

Take Out on Left

Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Dyess Bridge Rd. Launch - 69.4 miles (1 hour 12 minutes)

Drive from Dyess Bridge Rd. Launch to Denham Progress Rd. Landing - 4 miles (7 minutes)

Drive from Denham Progress Rd. Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 70 miles (1 hour 13 minutes)

We first paddled the Buckatunna at the insistence of Donna Sones Turner, the widow of the late Drew Turner, aka, "The Man in the Dugout Canoe." They have always been strong promoters of paddling the Buckatunna, and Drew spent a lot of time cutting log jams and otherwise making the creek passable to other paddlers. On May 11, 2024, Karma and I put in on Dyess Bridge Rd. and paddled approximately 5.6 miles to a boatramp on Dehnam Progress Rd.

The launch was very primative, with a short dirt road and a steep slide down to the river. The take out was a concrete boat ramp, but not much space to park.

The creek itself was absolutely beautiful, with hundreds of beautiful cypress trees with unique root and trunk patterns. Unlike most of the rivers closer to Hattiesburg, there were numerous hard clay cliffs that looked more like stone outcrops. There were some nice tributary streams, and we even stumbled on a large outcropping of shell fossils on one of the creek banks. There were very few sandbars, and they were small. But there were plenty of good swim holes.

The surrounding terrain was very rural and mostly deeply wooded. We startled two young deer who were sunbathing on the banks in a small meadow. We spotted two hawks and three kingfishers chasing one another back and forth across the river. We also saw an abundance of minnows and small fish.

This 5.6 miles section of the creek took us about 2.5 hours to paddle, including stops along the way. Here is my Strava data: