North Carolina is one of the top 10 hunting states with almost 700,000 paid license holders. And these hunters are serious about whitetail deer. It’s the most popular game animal with nearly 250,000 hunters spending an average of 15 days per season going after their quarry. If you want to harvest one of the more than 200,000 deer taken in the state each year, be sure you’re aware of the season dates and regulations.
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2022-2023 Season Dates
North Carolina deer hunting seasons vary by region, though it’s worth noting that the archery season starts on September 10 everywhere.
Also be aware that the “gun” season for each zone applies to antlered deer only. You can only hunt antlerless deer in an “either-sex gun” season. These are a bit more complicated, so it has its own separate section below.
The archery seasons are either sex unless otherwise specified.
Northeastern and Southeastern Zones
| Weapon | Dates |
| Archery | September 10-30 |
| Blackpowder | October 1-14 |
| Gun (antlered only) | October 15-January 2 |
Central Zone
| Weapon | Dates |
| Archery | September 10-October 28 |
| Blackpowder | October 29-November 11 |
| Gun (antlered only) | November 12-January 2 |
Northwestern Zone
| Weapon | Dates |
| Archery | September 10-November 4 |
| Blackpowder | November 5-18 |
| Gun (antlered only) | November 19-January 2 |
Western Zone
| Weapon | Dates |
| Archery | September 10-October 2October 16-November 20 |
| Archery (antlered only) | December 11-January 2 |
| Blackpowder | October 3-15 |
| Gun (antlered only) | November 21-December 10 |
Either-Sex Deer Seasons
Regardless of their zone, each county in North Carolina follows one of five types of either-sex season in which both antlered and antlerless deer can be taken. These often coincide with part of the standard antlered-only gun season.
| Type of Either-Sex Season | Dates | Counties |
| Introductory | November 26 | Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania |
| Conservative | November 21-26 | Avery, Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Mitchell and Yancey |
| Moderate | November 19-December 2 | Cleveland, Polk and Rutherford |
| Maximum | Entire Zone Gun Season | All other counties |
| No Season | — | Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain |
North Carolina Bag Limits
North Carolina has a pretty high bag limit of six deer, though there’s a season maximum of two antlered deer. There is no daily bag limit.
If you want to hunt more than six deer, it is possible to get bonus antlerless harvest report cards that allow for an additional two antlerless deer per card during the special urban archery season in the participating towns and cities.
Urban archery season lasts from January 14-February 19, and you can find the participating municipalities on page 66 of the North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting & Trapping Regulations Digest. The report card costs $11 for both residents and non-residents.
North Carolina Licenses and Costs
North Carolina is a fairly hunter-friendly state in that all you need is a license to hunt deer and any other game animal. In fact, you can even get a combo license that covers both hunting and fishing.
That said, there are many different kinds of licenses divided between annual and lifetime licenses with different prices for residents and non-residents. To be considered a resident, you have to have lived in North Carolina for six months or have established a permanent residence for 60 days. Students attending a university in North Carolina as well as active-duty military stationed in North Carolina or from North Carolina and stationed outside the state.
Anyone hunting in North Carolina needs a license except for:
- A landowner, their spouse or their dependents under 18 hunting on their own land
- Members of the armed forces serving outside of North Carolina in the state on leave for 30 days or less
- Youth under age 16 as long as they have completed a hunter safety course or are accompanied by an adult
Combo Licenses
| Annual License | Details | Resident Cost | Non-Resident Cost |
| Hunting and Inland Fishing Combo | Statewide hunting and inland fishing, but no big game or waterfowl | $35 | N/A |
| Sportsman | Statewide hunting and inland fishing including big game and waterfowl | $53 | N/A |
| Unified Sportsman | Statewide hunting and both inland and coastal fishing including big game and waterfowl | $69 | N/A |
| Lifetime License | Details | Resident Cost | Non-Resident Cost |
| Sportsman | Statewide hunting and inland fishing including big game and waterfowl | ||
| Adults (age 12+) | $530 | $1272 | |
| Youth (age 1-11) | $371 | $371 | |
| Infant (under age 1) | $212 | $212 | |
| Age 50+ | $265 | N/A | |
| Senior* | $16 | N/A | |
| Unified Sportsman | Statewide hunting and both inland and coastal fishing including big game | ||
| Adults (age 12+) | $716 | $1643 | |
| Youth (age 1-11) | $477 | $477 | |
| Infant (under age 1) | $292 | $292 | |
| Age 50+ | $358 | N/A | |
| Senior | $32 | N/A |
Hunting-Only Licenses
| Annual License | Details | Resident Cost | Non-Resident Cost |
| State Hunting | Does not include big game or waterfowl | $25 | $100 |
| Comprehensive | Includes big game and waterfowl | $39 | N/A |
| Lifetime License | Details | Resident Cost | Non-Resident Cost |
| Comprehensive | Includes big game and waterfowl | $265 | N/A |
Big game includes deer, bear and wild turkey, so if you’re a whitetail hunter, make sure to get the appropriate license. If you already have a lesser license but want to hunt deer, you can add it on. It costs $14 for residents and $100 for non-residents.
In addition to the above prices, residents of Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia receive specific discounted non-resident prices for licenses, so make sure you check the digest.
Hunter Education Requirement
You must take a hunter education course and receive a certificate of completion to get a hunting license in North Carolina. The only exceptions are if you have a valid license acquired before July 1, 2013, or obtain an apprentice permit. Hunters with an apprentice permit must be accompanied by a licensed adult 18 years old or older. The Hunting Heritage Apprentice Permit is free.
What Weapons Can You Hunt With in North Carolina?
Archery
North Carolina allows bowhunting with longbows, recurve bows, compound bows and crossbows. Recurve and longbows must have a draw weight of at least 40 pounds while compound bows must have a draw weight of at least 35 pounds. Crossbows have a minimum draw weight of 100 pounds. Broadheads must have a cutting diameter of at least ⅞ inch.
Blackpowder
During blackpowder season, North Carolina only allows firearms manufactured before 1898 that cannot use fixed ammunition or replicas of such a weapon that haven’t been modified to fire fixed ammunition.
Gun
During deer gun season, North Carolina allows the use of shotguns no larger than 10 gauge and pistols with no restrictions on length or caliber. Additionally, any rifle is legal except for fully automatic rifles or those prohibited by specific counties.
Can You Hunt With an AR-15 in North Carolina?
Yes, you can hunt with an AR-15 in North Carolina. The only exceptions are if you have modified your AR-15 or similarly styled rifle for automatic fire or if the specific county has a law that supersedes the state regulation.
What Types of Deer Are Popular in North Carolina?
Whitetail deer are the only species of deer native to North Carolina. There are around 200 elk present in the state, but it is not legal to hunt them. As a result, whitetail deer is by far the most popular game animal, which is also true for the country in general. In 2022 North Carolina deer hunting season, nearly 250,000 hunters spent 3.7 million days harvesting overing 200,000 deer.
What Else Is Popular to Hunt in North Carolina?
Although more people hunt deer in North Carolina than any other game, it’s actually only the fourth most harvested animal. In 2022, doves were by far the most heavily hunted with a total harvest of more than 830,000. Ducks and squirrels were second and third respectively.
Other popular game animals include:
- Rabbits
- Raccoons
- Coyotes
- Geese
- Quail
- Wild swine