Sutton Lake Game Land: hunting rules, deer harvest and access
Sutton Lake Game Land is 1,357 acres of public hunting land in New Hanover County, listed as seven days per week in NCWRC's tract data. Hunters reported 1 deer on it in the 2025-26 season, 1 antlered buck 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.
Sutton Lake Game LandOther NCWRC game landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 1,357 acres (NCWRC) |
|---|---|
| County | New Hanover County |
| Hunting days | Seven Days per Week |
| Owner | Duke Energy Progress (1,357 acres) |
| Deer reported, 2025-26 | 1 (1 antlered buck, 0 does) |
| Also on the game land | Restricted Firearms Zone: 1,156 acres; Archery Zone: 200 acres |
| Target shooting | Prohibited on all tracts, by NCWRC's tract data |
| Nearest towns | Navassa (next to it), Belville (4 mi) and Leland (5 mi) |
What are the rules on Sutton Lake Game Land?
Seven Days per Week: Hunting every day of the open seasons.
NCWRC's tract data lists 1,357 acres as Seven Days per Week. Its codified rules have no section of their own for this game land, so the general game land rules apply.
Source: NCWRC game land tracts; NCWRC game land rules, 15A NCAC 10D.
How many deer are taken on Sutton Lake Game Land?
NCWRC reports 1 deer on Sutton Lake Game Land in the 2025-26 season. That compares with 3 in 2024-25 and 1 in 2023-24.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Antlerless males | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | 1 | 0 | 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 Sutton Lake 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 Sutton Lake Game Land:
| Owner | Acres |
|---|---|
| Duke Energy Progress | 1,357 |
Source: NCWRC game land tracts.
Which county is Sutton Lake Game Land in?
| County | Acres of the game land in it | Deer season zone | Gun season opens, 2026 | County deer, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover County | 1,357 | Southeastern | Oct. 17 | 183 |
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 Sutton Lake Game Land?
Highways within 5 miles: I-140, US 74, US 17 and US 421. Nearest towns: Navassa (next to it), Belville (4 miles), Leland (5 miles) and Northwest (7 miles).
The closest other game lands with a page here: Cape Fear River Wetlands Game Land (2.7 miles), Green Swamp Game Land (14.8 miles), Holly Shelter Game Land (15.1 miles) and Whitehall Plantation Game Land (19.3 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 Sutton Lake Game Land?
Sutton Lake Game Land is a Seven Days per Week. Hunting every day of the open seasons.
How many deer are killed on Sutton Lake Game Land?
NCWRC reports 1 deer taken on Sutton Lake Game Land in the 2025-26 season: 1 antlered buck, 0 antlerless males and 0 does. The two seasons before: 3 in 2024-25 and 1 in 2023-24.
What county is Sutton Lake Game Land in?
All of it is in New Hanover County, by NCWRC's boundary.
When is deer gun season on Sutton Lake Game Land in 2026-27?
The county's zone sets the dates: New Hanover 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
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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.
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