North Carolina — where you can actually hunt
North Carolina sells tags over the counter — there's no draw. So the question is where: which counties have public land you can walk onto and hunt. And “public land” isn't one thing — a national park or a refuge is closed or permit-only, so we count only what's truly open, and show the rest honestly. Pick your species below.
What “huntable” means here
National forest, BLM, and state game lands / WMAs are open to hunting (state wildlife-agency lands are managed forit); state forests generally are. National & state parks and military land are closed; wildlife refuges are permit-only — those are excluded from the number.
By huntable public land
Most huntable counties first
Ranked by open public land — state game lands / WMAs and national forest are the open categories that push a county up. The mix shows what kind; deer harvest (antlered-buck, 2024-25) shows where the animals are.
| County | Huntable | Land mix | Deer (antlered-buck) | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham | 59.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 59% | 117 | |
| Clay | 47.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 47.2% | 441 | |
| Macon | 46.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 46.6% | 870 | |
| Transylvania | 44.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 44.2% | 423 | |
| Cherokee | 31.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 31.2% | 740 | |
| McDowell | 25.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 25.5% | 560 | |
| Jackson | 24.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 24.4% | 470 | |
| Haywood | 21% | State Game Lands / WMA 21% | 523 | |
| Avery | 19.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 19.6% | 676 | |
| Madison | 19.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 19.2% | 1,125 | |
| Yancey | 19.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 19.1% | 776 | |
| Burke | 18.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 18.9% | 1,223 | |
| Dare | 18.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 18.5% | 61 | |
| Caldwell | 18.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 18.5% | 937 | |
| Tyrrell | 18% | State Game Lands / WMA 18% | 155 | |
| Pender | 17.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 17.7% | 1,551 | |
| Craven | 17.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 17.3% | 1,320 | |
| Carteret | 16.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 16.9% | 404 | |
| Mitchell | 14.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 14% | 575 | |
| Montgomery | 13.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.4% | 1,555 | |
| Scotland | 13.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.2% | 654 | |
| Jones | 13.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.1% | 803 | |
| Richmond | 12.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 12.4% | 1,150 | |
| Henderson | 11.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.2% | 566 | |
| Gates | 10.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 10.5% | 542 | |
| Durham | 9.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.7% | 516 | |
| Chatham | 9% | State Game Lands / WMA 9% | 1,386 | |
| Camden | 8.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.9% | 126 | |
| Currituck | 8.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.6% | 173 | |
| Bladen | 8.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.6% | 1,270 | |
| Polk | 8% | State Game Lands / WMA 8% | 628 | |
| Swain | 7.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.7% | 209 | |
| Buncombe | 7.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.6% | 889 | |
| Hyde | 7.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.2% | 346 | |
| Bertie | 6.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.6% | 1,268 | |
| Caswell | 6.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.6% | 1,287 | |
| Brunswick | 5.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.9% | 1,039 | |
| Warren | 4.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.6% | 747 | |
| Rutherford | 4.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.3% | 1,768 | |
| Hertford | 4.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.2% | 675 | |
| Wake | 4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4% | 1,119 | |
| Martin | 3.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.4% | 804 | |
| Halifax | 3.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.4% | 1,659 | |
| Granville | 3.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.1% | 1,382 | |
| Person | 2.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.9% | 1,180 | |
| Ashe | 2.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.6% | 1,306 | |
| Columbus | 2.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.6% | 1,523 | |
| Pamlico | 2.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.3% | 593 | |
| Randolph | 2.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.1% | 2,696 | |
| Wilkes | 2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2% | 1,712 | |
| Beaufort | 2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2% | 1,131 | |
| Rowan | 1.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.9% | 1,608 | |
| Washington | 1.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.8% | 418 | |
| New Hanover | 1.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.7% | 88 | |
| Northampton | 1.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% | 1,496 | |
| Hoke | 1.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% | 396 | |
| Onslow | 1.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.4% | 1,091 | |
| Davidson | 1.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.4% | 1,829 | |
| Davie | 1.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.4% | 665 | |
| Duplin | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 1,374 | |
| Moore | 1% | State Game Lands / WMA 1% | 1,915 | |
| Anson | 0.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.9% | 2,079 | |
| Lee | 0.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.9% | 427 | |
| Cleveland | 0.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.9% | 2,061 | |
| Franklin | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 1,140 | |
| Alleghany | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 1,197 | |
| Watauga | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 1,145 | |
| Cumberland | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 669 | |
| Stanly | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 1,795 | |
| Surry | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 1,451 | |
| Vance | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 623 | |
| Rockingham | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 1,701 | |
| Edgecombe | 0.4% | — | 1,325 | |
| Nash | 0.3% | — | 1,020 | |
| Orange | 0.2% | — | 1,113 | |
| Stokes | 0.1% | — | 1,158 | |
| Harnett | 0% | — | 937 | |
| Mecklenburg | 0% | — | 455 | |
| Pasquotank | 0% | — | 139 | |
| Johnston | 0% | — | 1,536 | |
| Sampson | 0% | — | 1,059 | |
| Greene | 0% | — | 519 | |
| Robeson | 0% | — | 1,029 | |
| Pitt | 0% | — | 1,327 | |
| Union | 0% | — | 1,979 | |
| Cabarrus | 0% | — | 1,297 | |
| Wilson | 0% | — | 776 | |
| Gaston | 0% | — | 1,089 | |
| Perquimans | 0% | — | 278 | |
| Forsyth | 0% | — | 726 | |
| Lenoir | 0% | — | 701 | |
| Iredell | 0% | — | 1,410 | |
| Guilford | 0% | — | 1,126 | |
| Catawba | 0% | — | 1,238 | |
| Alamance | 0% | — | 1,418 | |
| Chowan | 0% | — | 232 | |
| Yadkin | 0% | — | 971 | |
| Wayne | 0% | — | 1,162 | |
| Alexander | 0% | — | 615 | |
| Lincoln | 0% | — | 1,014 |
huntablePct = NCWRC game lands + national forest as a share of the county (NC OneMap + USGS PAD-US 4.1, EPSG:5070). Harvest = NCWRC reported counts per species, each labeled (deer=antlered-buck only, turkey=spring gobblers+jakes, bear=total) and reconciled to the published statewide total. National & state parks, military land, and permit-only refuges are computed but shown as the “mix,” not counted huntable; confirm the specific tract with the state agency.
North Carolina — best of, ranked