Cold Mountain Game Land: hunting rules, deer harvest and access
Cold Mountain Game Land is 3,630 acres of public hunting land in Haywood County, a Seven Days per Week area by NCWRC's rule for it. Hunters reported 20 deer on it in the 2025-26 season, 13 antlered bucks among them (NCWRC). NC Wildlife Resources Commission owns nearly all of it.
Data updated October 2026. Rules: 15A NCAC 10D as NCWRC adopted it. Harvest: NCWRC's game land reports, 2023-24 to 2025-26. Seasons: NCWRC's 2026-27 dates.
Cold Mountain Game LandOther NCWRC game landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 3,630 acres (NCWRC) |
|---|---|
| County | Haywood County |
| Hunting days | Seven Days per Week Area |
| Owner | NC Wildlife Resources Commission (3,630 acres) |
| Deer reported, 2025-26 | 20 (13 antlered bucks, 6 does) |
| Target shooting | Not prohibited on 3,630 acres, by NCWRC's tract data; posted rules apply |
| Nearest towns | Waynesville (6 mi), Clyde (7 mi) and Canton (7 mi) |
What are the rules on Cold Mountain Game Land?
Seven Days per Week Area: Hunting every day of the open seasons.
- Cold Mountain game land is a Seven Days per Week Area, in which the following applies:
- (1) Horseback riding is prohibited except on designated trails May 16 through August 31 and all horseback riding is prohibited from September 1 through May 15.
- (2) Deer of either sex may be taken the first open Saturday of the applicable Deer With Visible Antlers Season.
- (3) Target shooting is prohibited.
Source: 15A NCAC 10D .0219, in effect since August 1, 2025. Game land rules apply on top of the county's season dates.
How many deer are taken on Cold Mountain Game Land?
NCWRC reports 20 deer on Cold Mountain Game Land in the 2025-26 season. That compares with 23 in 2024-25 and 19 in 2023-24.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Antlerless males | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 6 |
| 2024-25 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 5 |
| 2023-24 | 19 | 16 | 0 | 3 |
Source: NCWRC reported deer harvest by game land, 2023-24 to 2025-26; NCWRC 2024-25 deer harvest by game land; NCWRC 2023-24 deer harvest by game land. NCWRC's 2023-24 report calls antlerless males button bucks.
Who owns Cold Mountain Game Land?
Game lands are owned by NCWRC or by partners who open their land to public hunting under NCWRC's rules. NCWRC's tract data for Cold Mountain Game Land (5 named tracts):
| Owner | Acres |
|---|---|
| NC Wildlife Resources Commission | 3,630 |
Source: NCWRC game land tracts.
Which county is Cold Mountain Game Land in?
| County | Acres of the game land in it | Deer season zone | Gun season opens, 2026 | County deer, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haywood County | 3,631 | Western | Nov. 28 | 767 |
Acres measured by FilledTag on NCWRC game land boundaries and the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries. Zones and dates: NCWRC hunting and trapping season dates, 2026-27. County harvest: NCWRC 2025-26 reported deer harvest by county.
How do you get to Cold Mountain Game Land?
Highways through the game land: NC 215. Nearest towns: Waynesville (6 miles), Clyde (7 miles), Canton (7 miles) and Maggie Valley (10 miles).
The closest other game lands with a page here: Pisgah Game Land (next to it), Nantahala Game Land (2.9 miles), William H. Silver Game Land (12.3 miles) and Dupont State Forest Game Land (18 miles).
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).
Questions hunters ask
What days can you hunt Cold Mountain Game Land?
Cold Mountain Game Land is a Seven Days per Week Area (15A NCAC 10D .0219). Hunting every day of the open seasons.
How many deer are killed on Cold Mountain Game Land?
NCWRC reports 20 deer taken on Cold Mountain Game Land in the 2025-26 season: 13 antlered bucks, 1 antlerless male and 6 does. The two seasons before: 23 in 2024-25 and 19 in 2023-24.
What county is Cold Mountain Game Land in?
All of it is in Haywood County, by NCWRC's boundary.
When is deer gun season on Cold Mountain Game Land in 2026-27?
The county's zone sets the dates: Haywood County (Western zone) opens gun season Nov. 28, and it runs to January 1, 2027 (NCWRC 2026-27 season dates). The game land's hunting days still apply.
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Where these numbers come from
- Game land rules: NCWRC game land rules, 15A NCAC 10D. Designations, owners and tracts: NCWRC game land tracts.
- Deer harvest on the game land: NCWRC reported deer harvest by game land, 2023-24 to 2025-26. County harvest: NCWRC 2025-26 reported deer harvest by county.
- Boundary: NCWRC game land boundaries. Counties, highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer. National forest and refuges: U.S. Forest Service national forest ownership; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundaries.
FilledTag is not part of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Numbers are copied from NCWRC or measured from public maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
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