North Carolina
1,100,000
Est. Whitetail Population
240,000
No. Licenses Sold Annually
$39
Resident hunting license and deer permit
$200
Non-resident hunting license and deer permit
181 7/8”
Taken by Terry E. Daffron in Guilford County in 1987.
Record B&C Typical Stat
35
Total B&C Typical Entries
228 4/8”
Taken by Don C. Rockett in Person County in 1998.
Record B&C Non-Typical Stat
8
Record B&C Non-Typical Entries
Check out the latest info for North Carolina. Image by Tom Tietz
Season Dates (2024):
North Carolina is divided into five hunting zones. Please check the NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION WEBSITE to confirm season dates. In general, archery season opens Sept. 7, followed by muzzleloader season Sept. 28-Oct. 11 in the eastern zones, and in mid-November in the central and western zones. Gun seasons also open earlier in the eastern zones (Oct. 12), but run through Jan. 1, 2025 in all zones. There are also urban archery hunting opportunities in some cities that run through Feb. 16.
The Grade: B
North Carolina doesn’t have as many total entries to the Boone and Crockett record books as some other southeastern states, but the trend suggests that the hunting for trophy deer has been improving in recent years. In fact, 67 percent of the state’s total entries have been taken in the past 20 years. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Deer Biologist Jonathan Shaw said the buck age structure and adult sex ratio continue to improve. North Carolina has more than 2 million acres of public hunting access and reasonable license fees. For 2024, we’ve bumped its grade up to a B.
Antler Nation Knowledge:
Interested in a stud Tar Heel State buck? Certain counties have better reputations than others. Ashe, Chatham, Durham, Forsyth, Granville, Guilford, Orange, Person, Rockingham, Stokes, and Wake counties are notable hotspots. Still, the best bet to take a trophy is in the northern piedmont area of the state. Other good options are the counties along the Yadkin and Pee Dee rivers.
Shaw noted an URBAN ARCHERY SEASON, and obtaining permission from landowners within participating municipalities can produce solid opportunities at herds with older age structures.
If public is your poison, though, best use AVAILABLE RESOURCES. GAME LANDS and U.S. FOREST SERVICE lands abound. Use the interactive map to find A GOOD PLACE TO GO deer hunting.
Regardless of access types, according to Shaw, there is a lot of variation in the timing of the rut. This gives hunters who are willing to travel an opportunity to hunt peak-rut deer at numerous locations throughout the state, which PLAYS OUT OVER SEVERAL MONTHS.
“The timing of the rut in North Carolina varies widely across the state with peaks in breeding as early as Oct. 4 in the east, and as late as Dec. 19 in the west,” Boggess said. “Hunters can view the timing of peak rut in their respective county using the NCWRC Peak Rut Map.”
