Nicholson Creek Game Land: hunting rules, deer harvest and access
Nicholson Creek Game Land is 1,021 acres of public hunting land in Hoke County, a Three Days per Week area by NCWRC's rule for it. Hunters reported 14 deer on it in the 2025-26 season, 7 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.
Nicholson Creek Game LandOther NCWRC game landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 1,021 acres (NCWRC) |
|---|---|
| County | Hoke County |
| Hunting days | Three Days per Week Area |
| Owner | NC Wildlife Resources Commission (1,021 acres) |
| Deer reported, 2025-26 | 14 (7 antlered bucks, 7 does) |
| Target shooting | Prohibited on all tracts, by NCWRC's tract data |
| Nearest towns | Raeford (3 mi), Lumber Bridge (11 mi) and Fayetteville (12 mi) |
What are the rules on Nicholson Creek Game Land?
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.
- Nicholson Creek game land is a Three Days per Week Area, in which the following applies:
- (1) Deer of either sex may be taken with archery equipment on open hunting days from the Saturday on or nearest September 10 through the fourth Friday before Thanksgiving Day.
- (2) Deer of either sex may be taken with blackpowder firearms on open hunting days beginning the fourth Saturday before Thanksgiving Day through the Wednesday of the second week thereafter.
- (3) The Deer With Visible Antlers season consists of the open hunting days from the second Saturday before Thanksgiving Day through the third Saturday after Thanksgiving Day.
- (4) Deer of either sex may be taken the first open day of the applicable Deer With Visible Antlers Season.
- (5) The use of dogs for hunting deer is prohibited.
- (6) Wild turkey hunting is by permit only.
- (7) On Lake Upchurch, the following activities are prohibited:
- (a) Operating any vessel or vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine; and
- (b) Swimming.
- (8) Target shooting is prohibited.
Source: 15A NCAC 10D .0255, in effect since October 1, 2022. Game land rules apply on top of the county's season dates.
How many deer are taken on Nicholson Creek Game Land?
NCWRC reports 14 deer on Nicholson Creek Game Land in the 2025-26 season. That compares with 6 in 2024-25 and 7 in 2023-24.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Antlerless males | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 2024-25 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
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 Nicholson Creek 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 Nicholson Creek Game Land:
| Owner | Acres |
|---|---|
| NC Wildlife Resources Commission | 1,021 |
Source: NCWRC game land tracts.
Which county is Nicholson Creek Game Land in?
| County | Acres of the game land in it | Deer season zone | Gun season opens, 2026 | County deer, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoke County | 1,021 | Southeastern | Oct. 17 | 646 |
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 Nicholson Creek Game Land?
Highways within 5 miles: US 401, NC 211 and NC 20. Nearest towns: Raeford (3 miles), Lumber Bridge (11 miles), Fayetteville (12 miles) and Parkton (13 miles).
The closest other game lands with a page here: Rockfish Creek Game Land (2.4 miles), Sandhills Game Land (10 miles), Suggs Mill Pond Game Land (27.6 miles) and Rhodes Pond Game Land (32.2 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 Nicholson Creek Game Land?
Nicholson Creek Game Land is a Three Days per Week Area (15A NCAC 10D .0255). 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.
How many deer are killed on Nicholson Creek Game Land?
NCWRC reports 14 deer taken on Nicholson Creek Game Land in the 2025-26 season: 7 antlered bucks, 0 antlerless males and 7 does. The two seasons before: 6 in 2024-25 and 7 in 2023-24.
What county is Nicholson Creek Game Land in?
All of it is in Hoke County, by NCWRC's boundary.
When is deer gun season on Nicholson Creek Game Land in 2026-27?
The county's zone sets the dates: Hoke 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.
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