North Carolina deer hunting: game lands, 2026-27 zones and county harvest
North Carolina hunters reported 199,770 deer in the 2025-26 season, the most since NCWRC's records began in 1976-77, by the county totals in NCWRC's reports. For 2026-27, archery opens September 12 and gun season opens between October 17 and November 28, depending on the zone (NCWRC season dates).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: NCWRC's 2026-27 dates. Harvest: NCWRC reports to 2025-26. Game land rules: 15A NCAC 10D.
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When are North Carolina's 2026-27 deer seasons?
North Carolina sets its deer seasons by zone. Archery opens September 12, 2026 everywhere; the gun season opens October 17 in the Northeastern and Southeastern zones, November 14 in the Central zone, November 21 in the Northwestern zone and November 28 in the Western zone, and runs to January 1, 2027.
Source: NCWRC hunting and trapping season dates, 2026-27. Antlerless dates differ in the Western zone; each county's page lists them.
When are bear and turkey seasons?
| Season | Dates |
|---|---|
| Bear, Mountain unit (in and west of Surry, Wilkes, Caldwell, Burke and Cleveland) | Oct. 3 to Nov. 21, 2026 and Dec. 12, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027 |
| Wild turkey, youth season | April 10 to 11, 2027 |
| Wild turkey, statewide spring season | April 17 to May 15, 2027 |
Source: NCWRC hunting and trapping season dates, 2026-27.
How do North Carolina game lands work?
NCWRC opens 87 game lands with a page here, some owned by the Commission and many by partners such as the U.S. Forest Service, under rules that set the days of the week hunting is allowed. On Sundays on game lands, firearm hunting is not allowed between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., deer may not be taken with a firearm while being chased by dogs, and migratory game birds may not be hunted (15A NCAC 10D .0103). See every game land.
| Designation | Hunting days |
|---|---|
| Three Days per Week Area | Hunting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, plus Thanksgiving, Christmas, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and New Year's Day, unless the game land's own rule allows other days. |
| Four Days per Week Area | Hunting on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus Labor Day, Veterans Day, Christmas, New Year's Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. |
| Six Days per Week Area | Hunting Monday through Saturday during the open seasons. |
| Seven Days per Week Area | Hunting every day of the open seasons. |
Source: NCWRC game land rules, 15A NCAC 10D, 15A NCAC 10D .0103.
Which North Carolina counties have the most deer harvested?
Randolph County (5,349), Anson County (4,254), Rockingham County (4,033), Cleveland County (3,948) and Rutherford County (3,802) led North Carolina in 2025-26. See all 100 counties.
| Season | Deer reported statewide |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 199,770 |
| 2024-25 | 188,800 |
| 2023-24 | 189,803 |
| 2022-23 | 163,831 |
| 2021-22 | 168,427 |
| 2020-21 | 169,973 |
Source: NCWRC reported deer harvest by county, 1976-2024; NCWRC 2025-26 reported deer harvest by county, county totals added.
Questions hunters ask
When does deer season open in North Carolina in 2026?
Archery season opens September 12, 2026 in every zone. Gun season opens October 17 in the Northeastern and Southeastern zones, November 14 in the Central zone and the Northwestern CWD area, November 21 in the Northwestern zone and November 28 in the Western zone, and runs to January 1, 2027 (NCWRC 2026-27 season dates).
What does a three days per week game land mean?
On a Three Days per Week game land, hunting is limited to Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays plus a few holidays, unless that game land's own rule allows other days (15A NCAC 10D .0103).
Can you hunt game lands on Sunday in North Carolina?
On Seven Days per Week game lands, yes, with limits: no firearm hunting between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., no firearm deer hunting with dogs and no migratory bird hunting on Sundays (15A NCAC 10D .0103).
Get a North Carolina hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for North Carolina are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, North Carolina included.
Where these numbers come from
- Seasons: NCWRC hunting and trapping season dates, 2026-27. Game land rules: NCWRC game land rules, 15A NCAC 10D.
- Harvest: NCWRC reported deer harvest by county, 1976-2024; NCWRC 2025-26 reported deer harvest by county; NCWRC reported deer harvest by game land, 2023-24 to 2025-26.
- Maps: NCWRC game land boundaries; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries.
FilledTag is not part of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. NCWRC's hunting pages are the final word on every rule.
Every state North Carolina game lands Deer harvest by county