Rockfish Creek Game Land: hunting rules, deer harvest and access
Rockfish Creek Game Land is 2,689 acres of public hunting land in Hoke County, a Three Days per Week area by NCWRC's rule for it. Hunters reported 25 deer on it in the 2025-26 season, 13 antlered bucks among them (NCWRC). The Nature Conservancy 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.
Rockfish Creek Game LandOther NCWRC game landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 2,689 acres (NCWRC) |
|---|---|
| County | Hoke County |
| Hunting days | Three Days per Week Area |
| Owner | The Nature Conservancy (2,689 acres) |
| Deer reported, 2025-26 | 25 (13 antlered bucks, 12 does) |
| Also on the game land | Safety Zone: 193 acres |
| Target shooting | Prohibited on all tracts, by NCWRC's tract data |
| Nearest towns | Raeford (3 mi), Wagram (9 mi) and Aberdeen (10 mi) |
What are the rules on Rockfish 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.
- Rockfish 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 to 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) Taking fox squirrels is prohibited.
- (8) Target shooting is prohibited.
Source: 15A NCAC 10D .0268, in effect since November 1, 2022. Game land rules apply on top of the county's season dates.
How many deer are taken on Rockfish Creek Game Land?
NCWRC reports 25 deer on Rockfish Creek Game Land in the 2025-26 season. That compares with 25 in 2024-25 and 11 in 2023-24.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Antlerless males | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 12 |
| 2024-25 | 25 | 13 | 1 | 11 |
| 2023-24 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
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 Rockfish 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 Rockfish Creek Game Land:
| Owner | Acres |
|---|---|
| The Nature Conservancy | 2,689 |
Source: NCWRC game land tracts.
Which county is Rockfish 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 | 2,690 | 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 Rockfish Creek Game Land?
Highways within 5 miles: NC 211, US 401 and NC 20. Nearest towns: Raeford (3 miles), Wagram (9 miles), Aberdeen (10 miles) and Pinebluff (11 miles).
The closest other game lands with a page here: Nicholson Creek Game Land (2.4 miles), Sandhills Game Land (4.5 miles), Pee Dee River Game Land (29.6 miles) and Uwharrie Game Land (30.8 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 Rockfish Creek Game Land?
Rockfish Creek Game Land is a Three Days per Week Area (15A NCAC 10D .0268). 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 Rockfish Creek Game Land?
NCWRC reports 25 deer taken on Rockfish Creek Game Land in the 2025-26 season: 13 antlered bucks, 0 antlerless males and 12 does. The two seasons before: 25 in 2024-25 and 11 in 2023-24.
What county is Rockfish Creek Game Land in?
All of it is in Hoke County, by NCWRC's boundary.
When is deer gun season on Rockfish 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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