What’s New FOR THE 2026–2027 SEASON
As part of the Commission’s ongoing effort to keep you informed, we reserve this page of the digest each year to identify significant regulatory, legislative, and agency-related changes that you should be aware of each season. Please note that the information found on this page is not a complete list of regulation changes. For your convenience, all regulation changes appear throughout the digest in RED. Hunting Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD):
• The daily limit for Canada Geese and White- Fronted Geese has increased from 1 to 2 in the Northeast Hunt Zone. See page 72. • The regular spring turkey season now begins the Saturday on or after April 11 each year, with the youth turkey season occurring the weekend prior. See page 59. • The spring gray squirrel season now includes Game Lands and has been shifted so it does not overlap with the newly adjusted spring
• Cumberland, Forsyth, Sampson, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties are now designated as CWD Management Areas with a special early season and some have extended firearms seasons. • The restrictions on transporting deer car- casses from CWD Surveillance and Manage- ment Areas have been removed and replaced with statewide requirements for disposing of deer carcasses. • Edgecombe, Halifax, Martin, and Pitt counties are designated as CWD Surveillance Areas. • Alleghany, Alexander, Ashe, Bladen, Davie, Rockingham, Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Ire- dell, and Robeson counties are no longer CWD Surveillance Areas. This removes fawn rehabilitation restrictions and the prohibi- tion on placing bait or food from January 2 through August 31 in these counties. • See pages 55 and 67–68 for information about CWD regulations. Other Hunting Changes: • The anterless deer gun season was extended in Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Cleveland, Madi- son, Mitchell, Rutherford, Polk, and Yancey Counties. See page 62.
Text WILDTIP to TIP411 TURN IN POACHERS
turkey season. See page 69. Inland Fishing Mandatory Reporting:
NCWILDLIFE.GOV/WILDTIP
State law requires any person to report recre- ational harvests of the following species from inland or joint fishing waters that are adjacent to coastal fishing waters:
• Red Drum • Flounder • Spotted Seatrout (speckled trout) • Striped Bass • Weakfish (gray trout) Report harvest here: https://www.deq.nc.gov/report-my-fish
Scan the QR code to view the fishing regulations in Spanish. Escanea el código QR para ver la normativa.
National Wild Turkey Federation North Carolina
• Committed over $ 763,000 for Wildlife Resources Commission projects since 2017 • Conserved or enhanced over 154,000 acres of wildlife habitat across North Carolina since 2015 • Secured over 8,000 acres of hunter access since 2015 • Produced over 34,000 new or lapsed hunters since 2012 LEARN MORE at NWTF.ORG
6
2026–2027
North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting & Trapping Regulations
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator