Game Lands INFORMATION
Removal of Plants, Animals and Other Materials
• Dogs may not be used to take feral swine. • Dogs shall not be trained or allowed to run unleashed between March 1 and the Monday on or nearest October 15 on designated bear management areas located in and west of the counties and parts of counties in Ala- mance County south of I-85, Orange County south of I-85, Chatham County, Lee County, Wake County south of N.C. 98; and in and west of Rockingham, Guilford, Randolph, and Montgomery counties and that part of Anson County west of N.C. 742. Posted Zones on Game Lands • Safety Zone – unlawful to hunt or discharge a weapon. Falconry is allowed. • Restricted Zone – no entry without a permit. • Temporary Restricted Zone – no entry with- out a permit. • Archery Zone – bow-and-arrow hunting and falconry only. On such areas, antlered or ant- lerless deer may be taken on all open days of any applicable open deer season. Hunting with dogs prohibited. • Restricted Firearms Zones – unlawful to hunt with a centerfire rifle. • Scouting-only Zone – unlawful to discharge firearms or bow and arrow. • Restricted Deer Hunting Zone – use of dogs for taking deer prohibited without a permit. • Day Use Only Zone – all public use prohib- ited between sunset and sunrise. • Sensitive Habitat Zone – all public use pro- hibited within specified dates without prior written approval. ”Emergency Closures and Waivers” 15 NCAC 10A .1102. REMINDERS FOR GAME LAND USE: • Maintain awareness of game land boundar- ies to avoid entering private property.
or any other part thereof, or possess any bird or animal that has been so mutilated is prohibited. • Placing bait on game lands is prohibited without written authorization except when allowed for trapping. • Game birds or game animals may not be taken with the aid of bait. • It is unlawful to erect or to occupy for the purpose of hunting, any tree stand or plat- form attached by nails, screws, bolts or wire to a tree on any game land designated herein. This prohibition shall not apply to lag-screw steps or portable stands that are removed after use with no metal left remaining in or attached to the tree. • It is unlawful to camp on game lands, ex- cept on an area posted by the landowner for camping, or to camp on those U.S. For- est Service lands that have been closed by posted order of the U.S. Forest Service. See the individual game lands listings beginning on page 88 for further restrictions. • On game lands where the Wildlife Resources Commission is the primary custodian, the maximum period of consecutive overnight camping at any designated campground is 14 days within any 30-day period. A game land license is required for all campers 16 years of age and older who do not hold a valid hunting, trapping or fishing license. After 14 consecutive days of camping during this period, all personal belongings must be removed from the game land. • Raccoon and opossum hunting may continue until 7 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays on three-day-per-week game lands, until 7 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on four-day-per week game lands, and until 12 midnight on Saturdays on six-day-per-week game lands. • U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Ser- vice and U.S. Corps of Engineers regulations prohibit permanent structures (including per- manent duck blinds and permanent deer stands) on all lands under their management. • A permit is needed to enter Hunting Creek Swamp in Davie County. • From one-half hour before sunrise until one- half hour after sunset, properly licensed hunters may take feral swine on game lands during the open season for any game animal and game bird using any legal manner of take allowed during those open game sea- sons. Dogs may be used for hunting feral swine only on those game lands where the use of dogs is allowed for hunting deer or bear and only during the open applicable deer or bear season. • Coyote hunting on game lands in Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington coun- ties is limited to permit hunts administered through the Permit Hunting Opportunities Program. Elsewhere on game lands, from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset, coyotes may be taken by properly licensed hunters during any open
Other materials includes: all metals, minerals, rocks, soil, organic debris, buildings, fences, ar- chaeological resources as defined in G.S. 70-12, and water. Only the following plants, animals and ma- terials may be possessed on or removed from game lands: • Wildlife, birds or fish legally taken under a valid hunting, trapping, fishing or falconry license. • Small amount of edible plants or plant parts for personal consumption, except any plants on a state or federal protected list. • Insects, worms or other invertebrates col- lected as fish bait for personal use, except any on a state or federal protected list. Any fish bait collected may not be sold. • Small amounts of animal parts, plant parts not removed from live plants, dirt, rocks and water. These items may not be collected for commercial purposes or sale. • Firewood for use while camping on a game land. • Litter and road kill animals, except when specifically prohibited. • Bullfrogs may be taken from April 1 – August 31 with a valid license (Game Land, hunting, fishing, etc.) that allows access to and the use of Wildlife Resources Commission property. • To possess or remove any other plants, ani- mals and materials requires written permis- sion that must be carried on their person at all times. This includes, but is not limited to, firewood to be taken off the game land, pine straw, ginseng, venus fly-trap, snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, all metals, minerals, rocks, soil, organic debris, buildings, fences, archaeological resources as defined in G.S. 70-12, and water. Other Restrictions • Disabled sportsman blinds are for use by those individuals who possess a Disabled Veteran or Totally Disabled License or a Disabled Sportsman Hunt Certification, in addition to a valid hunting license and their companions on a first-come basis during non- permit, open hunting days, except for the Restricted Area of R. Wayne Bailey-Caswell Game Land. During permit hunts, the Com- mission will designate use of disabled sports- man blinds. • Use of game lands for purposes other than hunting, trapping and fishing is subject to the control of the landowners. • It is unlawful to release ANY bird or animal, except hunting dogs and raptors, on game lands without written authorization from the Wildlife Resources Commission. • It is unlawful to hunt while under the influ- ence of an impairing substance, as defined by G.S. 20-4.01(48b). • It is unlawful to litter or dispose of refuse, ex- cept in receptacles provided for the purpose. • Attempting to obscure the sex or age of any bird or animal taken by severing the head
• Respect other game land users.
• Remain flexible, in the event of crowding, by having an alternate location in mind.
• Know your target and what is beyond it.
• Pack it in, pack it out. Do not litter.
• It is recommended that all game land users wear a blaze orange garment as is appropriate during the hunting seasons.
• Call 800-662-7137 to report violations.
• Refer to the game lands section of this digest for more information. • Find interactive maps at ncpaws.org/ ncwrcmaps/gamelands.
80 2024–2025
Please note: Major regulation changes appear in RED
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