North Carolina · Public Land · 2026 Edition
North Carolina Public Hunting Land 2026: WMAs & Access Rules
2 wildlife management areas tracked here, from 17,424 to 64,862 acres. A hunting license covers you on North Carolina WMA land the same as anywhere else in the state — but read the access rules below before you assume that's all you need.
01 — Wildlife management areas
| Area | County | Acres | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandhills Game Land | Moore, Richmond, Hoke, Scotland | 64,862 | Deer, Turkey, Small game, Dove |
| Green Swamp Game Land | Brunswick | 17,424 | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Small game |
Sandhills, spread across four counties and roughly 61,000 acres, is one of the largest publicly accessible stretches of longleaf pine ecosystem left anywhere — its antlered-deer season runs on its own dates, separate from the surrounding private land, and dove hunting is closed on the field-trial grounds from the third Sunday in September through the rest of the season. Green Swamp, jointly managed with The Nature Conservancy in Brunswick County, is Carolina bay pocosin wetland instead of pine sandhill — bear hunting is the draw that sets it apart from most other NC game lands. This list is a starting point, not NCWRC's full inventory of more than 2 million acres of game lands statewide.
02 — Access rules beyond your hunting license
North Carolina charges its own $25 Game Lands License on top of the regular hunting license — it's bundled free into the Sportsman package, but anyone buying licenses separately needs to add it before hunting any of the state's 2 million-plus acres of Game Lands. A handful of tracts layer permit-only deer or turkey hunts on top of that, and some, like Sandhills, run their own antlered-deer season dates that differ from the surrounding private land.
03 — Where to go next
Verified · North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission · Last verified 2026-08-08
Publisher's note. WMA list and access rules read from NCWRC, retrieved 2026-08-08. Review due 2027-08-01. This is a starting list, not the agency's full WMA inventory — confirm current rules for a specific area before you hunt it.