Hunting in North Carolina

95 game management units

Official agency resources

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Buy a license ↗
https://www.ncwildlife.gov/hunting/license-types-and-fees
Hunting regulations ↗
https://www.ncwildlife.gov/hunting/fishing-hunting-trapping-regulations
Draw / lottery applications ↗
https://www.ncwildlife.gov/hunting/types-hunts
GMU map ↗
https://www.ncwildlife.gov/hunting/where-hunt-shoot/game-lands-maps
Harvest reporting ↗
https://www.ncwildlife.gov/hunting/after-hunt/big-game-harvest-reporting
Hunter education ↗
https://www.ncwildlife.gov/outdoor-skills/take-hunter-education-course

Authoritative source

For season dates, bag limits, draw deadlines, license costs, and unit-specific rules in North Carolina, go straight to the issuing agency.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

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Game species in North Carolina

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Click any species to see every state where it's on the books.

Game management units

95 units

Unit Alligator River
Circle Properties
Unit Angola Bay
Original
Unit Bachelor Bay
Unit Bertie County
Blades-Piland
Unit Bladen Lakes State Forest
Unit Brinkleyville
Tar River IP - Hwy 4/561
Unit Buckhorn
Mitigation
Unit Buckridge
Unit Buffalo Cove
Long Ridge
Unit Bullard and Branch
II
Unit Butner-Falls of Neuse
Upper Brickhouse Rd
Unit Buxton Woods
Unit Cape Fear River Wetlands
Corbett Blossom/Bellhammon
Unit Carteret County
Salters Creek
Unit Chatham
Unit Chowan Swamp
Eure Horton II
Unit Cold Mountain
Caldwell
Unit Columbus County
Old Dock / Plum Creek
Unit Croatan
Catfish Lake
Unit Currituck Banks
Unit Dan River
Galloway
Unit Dare
Unit Dover Bay
Dover Bay
Unit Dupont State Forest
Unit Elk Knob
Unit Embro
Tar River IP - Big Woods
Unit Goose Creek
Unit Green River
Foster Creek
Unit Green Swamp
Unit Gull Rock
Long Shoal
Unit Harris
Unit Headwaters State Forest
Unit Hill Farm
Hill Farm
Unit Holly Shelter
Wells
Unit Hyco
Unit J. Morgan Futch
JMF-2
Unit Johns River
Lower Creek Unit II
Unit Jordan
Unit Juniper Creek
IP
Unit Kerr Scott
Marley's Ford
Unit Kings Creek
Unit Lantern Acres
Unit Lee
Unit Light Ground Pocosin
Lindley - no public road access
Unit Linwood
Unit Little Fork State Forest
Little Fork
Unit Lower Fishing Creek
Tar River IP - Grammon Road
Unit Lower Roanoke River Wetlands
Company Swamp
Unit Mayo
Unit Mitchell River
Miles
Unit Nantahala
Fires Creek
Unit Needmore
Duvall 1
Unit Neuse River
Ray McOtter - Six Islands
Unit New Lake
Futrell
Unit Nicholson Creek
Upchurch-Williams
Unit North Bend
Bridgewater Duke
Unit North River
Jacobson
Unit Northwest River Marsh
Highlands - Nellie Bell Ponds
Unit Paynes Branch
Arrowood/Payne
Unit Pee Dee River
Diggs
Unit Perkins
Unit Pisgah
Sherwood
Unit Pisgah WRC
Roaring Creek - Burleson
Unit Pond Mountain
Bruce Shepherd
Unit Pungo River
McMullan/Scranton
Unit R. Wayne Bailey - Caswell
USDA
Unit Rhodes Pond
Unit Roanoke Island Marshes
Midgette Marsh Phase III
Unit Rockfish Creek
Calloway
Unit Rocky Run
McOtter
Unit Sampson
Harrell
Unit Sandhills
Parsons
Unit Sandy Creek
Tar River IP III - Sumler
Unit Sandy Mush
Unit Second Creek
Kannapolis
Unit Shocco Creek
Tar River IP II - Nansemond
Unit South Mountains
Bolin Knob
Unit Stones Creek
Beck
Unit Suggs Mill Pond
B. King - Turnbull
Unit Sutton Lake
Unit Tar River
Barnhill
Unit Texas Plantation
TP-2
Unit Three Top Mountain
Miller
Unit Thurmond Chatham
Morrison
Unit Tillery
Daniel Whittaker
Unit Toxaway
Unit Upper Roanoke River Wetlands
Tar River IP - Cypress Swamp
Unit Uwharrie
Birkhead
Unit Van Swamp
Unit Vance
Nutbush Peninsula WMA
Unit Voice of America
VOA
Unit White Oak River
Quaternary
Unit Whitehall Plantation
McEachern
Unit William H. Silver
Wycle Fork
Unit Yadkin River
High Rock

Huntable public lands in North Carolina

Wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, and state forest preserves where hunting is permitted.

Pisgah National Forest
National Forest
512,758 acres
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
156,996.1 acres
Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
14,360.4 acres
Croatan National Forest
National Forest
159,885 acres
Forestry Sci. N.C. Lab. Experimental Area
Preserve
26.68 acres
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
8,750.9 acres
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge
National Recreation Area
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
49,993.2 acres
Nantahala National Forest
National Forest
531,148 acres
Nantahala Purchase Unit
Conservation Area
17,571.46 acres
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
4,995.1 acres
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
8,681.6 acres

Authoritative source

Big Game

Wild Turkey

Upland Birds

Waterfowl

Small Game

Predator & Furbearer

Migratory