Croatan Game Land: hunting rules, deer harvest and access
Croatan Game Land is 166,267 acres of public hunting land in Craven, Carteret and Jones counties, a Seven Days per Week area by NCWRC's rule for it. Hunters reported 616 deer on it in the 2025-26 season, 247 antlered bucks among them (NCWRC). USDA Forest Service 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.
Croatan Game LandOther NCWRC game landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 166,267 acres (NCWRC) |
|---|---|
| County | Craven County, Carteret County, Jones County |
| Hunting days | Seven Days per Week Area |
| Owner | USDA Forest Service (165,341 acres); NC Wildlife Resources Commission (925 acres) |
| Deer reported, 2025-26 | 616 (247 antlered bucks, 327 does) |
| Also on the game land | Bear Management Area: 53,319 acres; Waterfowl Impoundment: 806 acres; Archery Zone: 385 acres |
| Target shooting | Not prohibited on 166,267 acres, by NCWRC's tract data; posted rules apply |
| Nearest towns | Newport (next to it), Peletier (next to it), Cedar Point (next to it) and Cape Carteret (next to it) |
What are the rules on Croatan Game Land?
Seven Days per Week Area: Hunting every day of the open seasons.
- Croatan game land is a Seven Days per Week Area, in which the following applies:
- (1) Deer of either sex may be taken on all the open days of the applicable Deer With Visible Antlers Season.
- (2) Waterfowl shall be taken only on the following days:
- (a) the opening and closing days of the applicable waterfowl seasons;
- (b) Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Days; and
- (c) Tuesdays and Saturdays of the applicable waterfowl seasons.
- (3) Beginning on the first open waterfowl day in October through the end of all waterfowl seasons, waterfowl hunting from designated Disabled Sportsmen blinds on the Catfish Lake Waterfowl Impoundment is by permit only.
- (4) Dove hunting is by permit only for the first two open days of dove season on posted areas. During the rest of dove season, no permit is required to hunt doves.
- (5) Bear shall not be harvested on Sunday.
Source: 15A NCAC 10D .0221, in effect since October 1, 2022. Game land rules apply on top of the county's season dates.
How many deer are taken on Croatan Game Land?
NCWRC reports 616 deer on Croatan Game Land in the 2025-26 season. That compares with 528 in 2024-25 and 536 in 2023-24.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Antlerless males | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 616 | 247 | 42 | 327 |
| 2024-25 | 528 | 218 | 44 | 266 |
| 2023-24 | 536 | 243 | 33 | 260 |
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 Croatan 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 Croatan Game Land (4 named tracts):
| Owner | Acres |
|---|---|
| USDA Forest Service | 165,341 |
| NC Wildlife Resources Commission | 925 |
Source: NCWRC game land tracts.
Which county is Croatan Game Land in?
| County | Acres of the game land in it | Deer season zone | Gun season opens, 2026 | County deer, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craven County | 72,506 | Southeastern | Oct. 17 | 3,034 |
| Carteret County | 53,936 | Southeastern | Oct. 17 | 944 |
| Jones County | 39,844 | Southeastern | Oct. 17 | 1,882 |
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 Croatan Game Land?
Highways through the game land: US 70, NC 58, NC 101 and NC 306. Nearest towns: Newport (next to it), Peletier (next to it), Cedar Point (next to it), Cape Carteret (next to it) and Maysville (next to it).
The closest other game lands with a page here: White Oak River Game Land (next to it), Carteret County Game Land (2.1 miles), Neuse River Game Land (3.1 miles) and Rocky Run Game Land (7.3 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 Croatan Game Land?
Croatan Game Land is a Seven Days per Week Area (15A NCAC 10D .0221). Hunting every day of the open seasons.
How many deer are killed on Croatan Game Land?
NCWRC reports 616 deer taken on Croatan Game Land in the 2025-26 season: 247 antlered bucks, 42 antlerless males and 327 does. The two seasons before: 528 in 2024-25 and 536 in 2023-24.
What county is Croatan Game Land in?
Craven County (72,506 acres), Carteret County (53,936 acres) and Jones County (39,844 acres), measured on NCWRC's boundary.
When is deer gun season on Croatan Game Land in 2026-27?
The county's zone sets the dates: Craven County (Southeastern zone) opens gun season Oct. 17, Carteret County (Southeastern zone) opens gun season Oct. 17 and Jones County (Southeastern zone) opens gun season Oct. 17, 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.
North Carolina hunting All North Carolina game lands Craven County deer harvest Carteret County deer harvest Jones County deer harvest