Harris Game Land: hunting rules, deer harvest and access
Harris Game Land is 11,527 acres of public hunting land in Wake, Chatham and Harnett counties, a Seven Days per Week area by NCWRC's rule for it. Hunters reported 123 deer on it in the 2025-26 season, 65 antlered bucks among them (NCWRC). Duke Energy Progress 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.
Harris Game LandOther NCWRC game landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 11,527 acres (NCWRC) |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County, Chatham County, Harnett County |
| Hunting days | Seven Days per Week Area |
| Owner | Duke Energy Progress (11,527 acres) |
| Deer reported, 2025-26 | 123 (65 antlered bucks, 53 does) |
| Also on the game land | Safety Zone: 325 acres; Restricted Zone: 23 acres |
| Target shooting | Prohibited on all tracts, by NCWRC's tract data |
| Nearest towns | Holly Springs (2 mi), Apex (3 mi) and Fuquay-Varina (6 mi) |
What are the rules on Harris Game Land?
Seven Days per Week Area: Hunting every day of the open seasons.
- Harris game land is a Seven Days per Week Area, in which the following applies:
- (1) Antlered or antlerless deer may be taken the first open day of the applicable Deer With Visible Antlers Season through the second Friday thereafter.
- (2) Waterfowl on posted waterfowl impoundments may be taken 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 season.
- (3) The use or construction of permanent hunting blinds shall be prohibited.
- (4) Wild turkey hunting is by permit only, except on those areas posted as an archery zone.
- (5) The use of bicycles is restricted, except for hunters engaged in the act of hunting during the open days of the seasons for game birds and game animals.
- (6) Horseback riding is prohibited.
- (7) Target shooting is prohibited.
Source: 15A NCAC 10D .0233, in effect since August 1, 2024. Game land rules apply on top of the county's season dates.
How many deer are taken on Harris Game Land?
NCWRC reports 123 deer on Harris Game Land in the 2025-26 season. That compares with 114 in 2024-25 and 105 in 2023-24.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Antlerless males | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 123 | 65 | 5 | 53 |
| 2024-25 | 114 | 58 | 6 | 50 |
| 2023-24 | 105 | 61 | 7 | 37 |
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 Harris 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 Harris Game Land:
| Owner | Acres |
|---|---|
| Duke Energy Progress | 11,527 |
Source: NCWRC game land tracts.
Which county is Harris Game Land in?
| County | Acres of the game land in it | Deer season zone | Gun season opens, 2026 | County deer, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 6,956 | Northeastern | Oct. 17 | 1,900 |
| Chatham County | 4,504 | Central | Nov. 14 | 2,481 |
| Harnett County | 69 | Southeastern | Oct. 17 | 1,871 |
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 Harris Game Land?
Highways within 5 miles: US 1, NC 55, US 64 and NC 42. Nearest towns: Holly Springs (2 miles), Apex (3 miles), Fuquay-Varina (6 miles) and Cary (8 miles).
The closest other game lands with a page here: Chatham Game Land (next to it), Jordan Game Land (next to it), Lee Game Land (2.2 miles) and Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land (21.4 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 Harris Game Land?
Harris Game Land is a Seven Days per Week Area (15A NCAC 10D .0233). Hunting every day of the open seasons.
How many deer are killed on Harris Game Land?
NCWRC reports 123 deer taken on Harris Game Land in the 2025-26 season: 65 antlered bucks, 5 antlerless males and 53 does. The two seasons before: 114 in 2024-25 and 105 in 2023-24.
What county is Harris Game Land in?
Wake County (6,956 acres), Chatham County (4,504 acres) and Harnett County (69 acres), measured on NCWRC's boundary.
When is deer gun season on Harris Game Land in 2026-27?
The county's zone sets the dates: Wake County (Northeastern zone) opens gun season Oct. 17, Chatham County (Central zone) opens gun season Nov. 14 and Harnett 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.
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
- 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 Wake County deer harvest Chatham County deer harvest Harnett County deer harvest