CHARLOTTE, N.C. (June 19, 2013)  — Fisheries biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission today stocked 162,500 hybrid striped bass into Lake Norman, marking a shift in the agency’s management of the 32,510-acre reservoir from a striped bass fishery to a hybrid striped bass fishery.

Commission staff has traditionally stocked striped bass into the reservoir each year. Over the last 10 years, however, striped bass have routinely suffered from summertime kills related to habitat preferences and feeding habits of this popular sport fish.

“Striped bass follow river herring, their preferred food, to the cold, deep layer of the reservoir to feed,” said Brian McRae, the Commission’s Piedmont Region fisheries supervisor.  “However, as the summer progresses this deep layer eventually turns into a type of ‘oxygen bubble’ that is created when the middle layer of the water column lose

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 19, 2013) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will begin issuing Hunting Heritage Apprentice Permits on July 1, allowing new hunters to go afield under the guidance of licensed adult mentors before taking a required hunter education course.

Gov. Pat McCrory recently signed into law the legislation enabling the apprentice permit program in North Carolina.

“Wildlife agencies must recognize the importance of increasing hunting opportunities to maintain relevancy of our conservation heritage,” said Travis Casper, the state Hunter Education Program coordinator. “Apprentice permits have been successfully implemented in other states without a significant increase in hunting-related injuries. We must be more efficient and effective in getting more people engaged in safe and enjoyable experiences with our wildlife resources, to foster support for all conservation issues.”

The Hunter Heritage Apprentice Permit all

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 18, 2013) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will have law enforcement officers out in force June 28-30 in support of Operation Dry Water — an annual nationwide campaign to remind boaters that it is unsafe, as well as illegal, to operate a boat while impaired. In North Carolina, penalties include a maximum $1,000 fine and possible jail time.

“Drinking affects the skills necessary to operate a boat, including coordination, reaction time, balance and rational decision-making,” said Maj. Chris Huebner, the state’s boating safety coordinator and a wildlife officer with the Wildlife Commission. “We want everyone to enjoy his or her time on the water and do so safely. Having a designated driver, for boating and the drive home, is always a good idea.”

Operation Dry Water is incorporated into North Carolina’s multi-agency “On the Road, On the Water, Don’t

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 17, 2013) — Fishing for a fun and inexpensive way to celebrate Independence Day? The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission invites anglers and would-be anglers of all ages to go fishing — for free.

On July 4 from 12:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m., everyone in North Carolina — resident and non-residents alike — can fish in any public body of water, including coastal waters, without purchasing a fishing license or additional trout fishing privilege. 

Although no fishing license is required, all other fishing regulations, such as size and creel limits and lure restrictions, still apply.

To give anglers a better chance of catching fish, the Commission stocks a variety of fish in waters across the state — including trout and channel catfish. The agency also provides access to fishing sites across the state, including public fishing areas and boating access areas. The interactive fishing and boating maps on the

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 14, 2013) Download the agenda package PDF below.

June 20, 2013 Commission Meeting Agenda Package (PDF)

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 14, 2013) Download the PDF's below for the June 19, 2013 committee meeting agendas. 

June 19, 2013 
Fisheries Committee Meeting Agenda (PDF)
Big Game Committee Meeting Agenda (PDF)
Habitat, Nongame & Endangered Species Committee Meeting Agenda (PDF)
Land Use and Access Committee Meeting Agenda (PDF)
Migratory Bird / Waterfowl Committee Meeting Agenda (PDF)
Boating Safety Committee Meeting Agenda (PDF)

The Sentences Are the Result of a Four-Year, Multi-Agency Operation Targeting Illegal Hunting of Wildlife in North Carolina and Georgia

BRYSON CITY, N.C. – Ten defendants were sentenced on Monday, June 10, 2013, in U.S. District Court for illegal hunting activities involving black bears and other wildlife and related offenses, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The sentences are the result of “Operation Something Bruin,” a multi-agency initiative focused on the illegal poaching of bears and other wildlife in North Carolina and Georgia.

U.S. Attorney Tompkins is joined in making today’s announcement by Steve Ruppert, Special Agent in Charge for the Southern Region of the U.S. Forest Service and Col. Dave Caveny, Chief of the Division of Law Enforcement for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

In February 2013, state and federal wildlife officials in North Carolina and Georgi

PITTSBORO, N.C. (June 13, 2013) — N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission personnel met with anglers concerned about the crappie population in Jordan Reservoir on June 1 at the Farrington Point Boating Access Area in Chatham County.

Fisheries Biologists Jessica Baumann and Corey Oakley, along with Wildlife Officer Bryan Scruggs, met with approximately 20 members of crappie.com, an online discussion forum about crappie, to discuss preliminary results from the 2012 Jordan Reservoir Black Crappie Survey.

Biologists conducted the survey in October and November 2012, collecting 2,247 fish using trap nets and gill nets.Trap nets collect fish that are schooling along the shoreline and are the traditional gear biologists use to sample crappie in Piedmont reservoirs.  Gill nets are used to collect fish that are schooling offshore in deeper water, but tend to only collect the larger black crappie in a population.  

 “One of our concerns prior

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 11, 2013) Download the agenda PDF below. 

June 20, 2013 Commission Meeting Agenda (PDF)

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 11, 2013) — Largemouth bass anglers who practice catch-and-release fishing this summer can follow a few simple steps to ensure the fish they catch today will survive to bite another lure tomorrow.

Summertime heat brings with it higher temperatures and lower dissolved oxygen levels in reservoirs and rivers — conditions that are tough on largemouth bass, which can become more stressed when caught. 

To minimize stress on fish, an angler who plans to catch and release the fish should land the fish quickly and handle it as little as possible.

“Try not to remove the fish from the water, even when you’re removing the hook from the fish’s mouth,” said Christian Waters, a fisheries program manager for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “Handle the fish as little as possible to help reduce the loss of slime coat, which is the fish’s main defense against infection and disea

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 7, 2013) — With a rash of media reports of bear sightings across North Carolina, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding residents not to panic and to remain calm if they see a black bear. Bears are not inherently dangerous and seeing a bear can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for residents to appreciate from a safe distance.

It is not uncommon to see a black bear in spring in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.  Juvenile bears (1-2 yrs. old) are dispersing from their den’s home area, while adult bears can roam extensively searching for food and mates. 

Juvenile bears may look small — in fact, some people refer to them as cubs — but they are not cubs and are well-equipped to live on their own. Sometimes a young bear finds its way accidentaly into a town when the natural corridor, river or drainage ditch it is traveling on leads into a town.  This often happens at night, when

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 7, 2013) Download the PDF below for the June 19 Committee Meeting Notice.

June 19, 2013 Committee Meeting Notice (PDF)