Game Land Activities

With more than 2 million acres of game lands in North Carolina, recreationists of all kinds have plenty of places for photographing wildlife, watching birds or just enjoying the outdoors. 

Check our interactive Game Lands Map for information and guidelines on individual game lands.

 

 

Find out how the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission manages its game lands for the conservation of wildlife species and to provide public access for hunting, fishing, trapping, and other outdoor recreational opportunities.

Since 1868, hunting on Sundays has been prohibited by State law. However, in 2015, the Outdoor Heritage Act of 2015 was passed, removing the absolute prohibition on hunting with firearms on Sunday in North Carolina. On July 25, 2017, the Outdoor Heritage Enhanced Act was signed by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. Under the new law, public land managers, including the Wildlife Resources Commission, were granted authority to implement new options for hunting on Sundays on the public lands, though hunters are still prohibited from hunting with a firearm between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., hunting deer with the use of dogs, and hunting within 500 yards of a place of worship.

From July 16 – August 31, 2018, the Commission collected public opinions through an online survey on opening 61 select game lands across the state for Sunday hunting.  Over 6,000 stakeholders responded, providing valuable information about their activities on game lands and views on this potential change.  After data collection, Commission staff determined that additional information was needed to better inform their decision and decided to forgo proposing any immediate rule changes to open Sunday hunting on game lands.