Pond Mountain Game Land: hunting rules, deer harvest and access
Pond Mountain Game Land is 3,701 acres of public hunting land in Ashe County, a Seven Days per Week area by NCWRC's rule for it. Hunters reported 37 deer on it in the 2025-26 season, 23 antlered bucks among them (NCWRC). NC Wildlife Resources Commission owns 3,368 acres 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.
Pond Mountain Game LandOther NCWRC game landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 3,701 acres (NCWRC) |
|---|---|
| County | Ashe County |
| Hunting days | Seven Days per Week Area |
| Owner | NC Wildlife Resources Commission (3,368 acres); USDA Forest Service (332 acres) |
| Deer reported, 2025-26 | 37 (23 antlered bucks, 14 does) |
| Target shooting | Not prohibited on 3,701 acres, by NCWRC's tract data; posted rules apply |
| Nearest towns | Lansing (7 mi), Jefferson (13 mi) and West Jefferson (14 mi) |
What are the rules on Pond Mountain Game Land?
Seven Days per Week Area: Hunting every day of the open seasons.
- Pond Mountain game land is a Seven Days per Week Area, in which the following applies:
- (1) Deer of either sex may be taken the first open day of the applicable Deer With Visible Antlers Season through the first Friday thereafter.
- (2) Horseback riding is prohibited except on designated trails from May 16 through August 31 and Sundays from September 1 through October 31. All horseback riding is prohibited from November 1 through May 15.
Source: 15A NCAC 10D .0261, in effect since October 1, 2022. Game land rules apply on top of the county's season dates.
How many deer are taken on Pond Mountain Game Land?
NCWRC reports 37 deer on Pond Mountain Game Land in the 2025-26 season. That compares with 13 in 2024-25 and 28 in 2023-24.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Antlerless males | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 37 | 23 | 0 | 14 |
| 2024-25 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 2023-24 | 28 | 19 | 2 | 7 |
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 Pond 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 Pond Mountain Game Land (11 named tracts):
| Owner | Acres |
|---|---|
| NC Wildlife Resources Commission | 3,368 |
| USDA Forest Service | 332 |
Source: NCWRC game land tracts.
Which county is Pond Mountain Game Land in?
| County | Acres of the game land in it | Deer season zone | Gun season opens, 2026 | County deer, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashe County | 3,627 | Northwestern | Nov. 21 | 2,793 |
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 Pond Mountain Game Land?
Nearest towns: Lansing (7 miles), Jefferson (13 miles), West Jefferson (14 miles) and Boone (21 miles).
The closest other game lands with a page here: Three Top Mountain Game Land (8.3 miles), Elk Knob Game Land (13.4 miles), Thurmond Chatham Game Land (25 miles) and Pisgah Game Land (25 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 Pond Mountain Game Land?
Pond Mountain Game Land is a Seven Days per Week Area (15A NCAC 10D .0261). Hunting every day of the open seasons.
How many deer are killed on Pond Mountain Game Land?
NCWRC reports 37 deer taken on Pond Mountain Game Land in the 2025-26 season: 23 antlered bucks, 0 antlerless males and 14 does. The two seasons before: 13 in 2024-25 and 28 in 2023-24.
What county is Pond Mountain Game Land in?
All of it is in Ashe County, by NCWRC's boundary.
When is deer gun season on Pond Mountain Game Land in 2026-27?
The county's zone sets the dates: Ashe County (Northwestern zone) opens gun season Nov. 21, 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 Ashe County deer harvest