North Carolina deer and bear seasons 2026-27

North Carolina runs its deer seasons by zone, and the opening day of gun season can differ by six weeks depending on which county you hunt. Bear seasons follow their own map of management units. The dates below come from the Wildlife Resources Commission's season sheet for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, which the Commission published marked as tentative. Final dates are in the NCWRC regulations digest; check it before you hunt.

Deer zones and gun season dates

In every zone the antlered seasons run in the order archery, then blackpowder, then gun, and all of them close January 1, 2027.

Northeastern zone

Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Johnston, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne and Wilson counties.

Archery: Sept. 12 - Oct. 2, 2026
Blackpowder: Oct. 3 - Oct. 16, 2026
Gun: Oct. 17, 2026 - Jan. 1, 2027

Southeastern zone

Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Dare, Duplin, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland, Tyrrell and Washington counties have the same dates as the Northeastern zone. Cumberland and Sampson counties form the Southeastern CWD management area: the same dates, antlerless deer legal on the same days, plus a special early season on August 22-23, 2026.

Central zone

Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Durham, Granville, Guilford, Lee, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties.

Archery: Sept. 12 - Oct. 30, 2026
Blackpowder: Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2026
Gun: Nov. 14, 2026 - Jan. 1, 2027

Northwestern zone

Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Catawba, Cleveland, Davie, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Polk, Rutherford and Watauga counties.

Archery: Sept. 12 - Nov. 6, 2026
Blackpowder: Nov. 7 - Nov. 20, 2026
Gun: Nov. 21, 2026 - Jan. 1, 2027

Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties form the Northwestern CWD management area, which follows the Central zone dates (gun season from November 14) with an early season on August 22-23, 2026.

Western zone

Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Madison, Mitchell, Yancey, Buncombe, Henderson, McDowell, Cherokee, Clay, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania and Graham counties.

Archery: Sept. 12 - Nov. 13, 2026
Blackpowder: Nov. 14 - Nov. 27, 2026
Gun: Nov. 28, 2026 - Jan. 1, 2027

Antlerless days are limited in much of the west. In Buncombe, Henderson and McDowell the antlerless gun season is November 28 to December 5, 2026, with a longer season in a defined part of Buncombe and Henderson. In the far southwest counties antlerless deer are legal on only a few days, and in Graham County there is no antlerless gun season. Read the county row in the digest.

Chronic wasting disease rules

Chronic wasting disease has been found in North Carolina, and the Commission has set up management areas with their own rules on carcass movement, testing and feeding. If you hunt in Cumberland, Sampson, Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes or Yadkin counties, read the NCWRC CWD page before the season about where you can take a carcass and how to get a deer tested.

Bear seasons by management unit

North Carolina manages black bears in three units that follow the shape of the state: Mountain, Piedmont and Coastal.

Mountain unit (in and west of Surry, Wilkes, Caldwell, Burke and Cleveland counties): Oct. 3 - Nov. 21, 2026 and Dec. 12, 2026 - Jan. 1, 2027.
Piedmont unit: Franklin, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Moore, Richmond, Scotland, Vance, Wake and Warren open Oct. 17, 2026; the central Piedmont counties from Alamance to Union open Nov. 14; Alexander, Catawba, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Stokes and Yadkin open Nov. 21. All close Jan. 1, 2027.
Coastal unit: five zones with short split seasons in the northeast (for example Dare, Hyde and Tyrrell: Nov. 14-29 and Dec. 12-27, 2026), Nov. 21 - Dec. 20 in zone 4, and Nov. 9, 2026 - Jan. 1, 2027 in zone 5 (Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Robeson and Sampson). Dogs may not be used for bear in Pamlico County.

A bear hunt also needs the bear privilege on your license, and every bear must be reported and, in some units, inspected. Check the digest for the details.

Legal firearms for deer and bear

During gun season, North Carolina allows rifles, handguns, shotguns and muzzleloaders for deer and bear. The state does not set a minimum rifle caliber for deer, but a few local laws limit rifles in parts of some counties, so check the county row in the digest. Popular deer cartridges here are .243 Win, .270 Win, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30-06 and the straight-wall .350 Legend. Mountain hunters often favour a light bolt rifle that carries well uphill; Coastal Plain hunters over soybean fields and cutovers tend to pick a flat-shooting rifle with a good scope. Our rifle shelf ships to any North Carolina dealer.

Hunter orange, licenses and reporting

When hunting with a firearm during a gun season for deer, you must wear hunter orange visible from all sides on your head, chest or back; see the digest for the exact rule.
First-time hunting license buyers must pass a hunter education course unless an exemption applies.
Big game must be reported through the Commission's reporting system before the animal is moved from the kill site or by the deadline in the digest.
Hunting on game lands requires the game lands privilege.

Before opening day

Zero your rifle at a public range, confirm your zone and county rules, and buy ammunition early. For spring turkey and duck dates, see our turkey and waterfowl guide. For the general rules on owning and carrying a gun, read the North Carolina gun law overview.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of October 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.