Alligator River NWR
Hyde County, NC
✓3 open!4 special✕1 closed
🦌🦆🐦🕊️🐇🎣
153K huntable acres
State guide · 2026–2027 season
North Carolina Wildlife Refuge Hunting
North Carolina has 12 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and stations in our database, 10 of which list hunting opportunities. The largest huntable refuge areas are Alligator River NWR (153K ac), Pocosin Lakes NWR (107K ac) and Great Dismal Swamp NWR (102K ac).
12refuges & stations
51hunt units
385Khuntable acres
0WPAs
Map of refuges & WPAs in North Carolina
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Refuge with open unitsNo open unitsWPANational Wildlife Refuge
Tip: switch to Satellite or USGS Topo in the layer menu · click the map for GPS coordinates
North Carolina by the numbers
- Open193,171 ac 45%
- Special regulations191,332 ac 45%
- Closed40,889 ac 10%
49.9K
21.3K
16.6K
14.3K
8.7K
3.8K
All refuges & stations in North Carolina
Cedar Island NWR
Carteret County, NC
✓1 open✕1 closed
🦆
463 huntable acres
Currituck NWR
Currituck County, NC
!4 special✕1 closed
🦌🦆🐗
3.8K huntable acres
Edenton NFH
Chowan County, NC
✕1 closed
🎣
Great Dismal Swamp NWR
Chesapeake city, VA · primary: VA
!11 special✕3 closed
🦌🦃🐇🎣
102K huntable acres
Mackay Island NWR
Currituck County, NC
!3 special✕1 closed
🦌🦆🐇🐗🎣
8.7K huntable acres
Mattamuskeet NWR
Hyde County, NC
✓1 open!2 special✕1 closed
🦌🦆🎣
48.8K huntable acres
Pea Island NWR
Dare County, NC
✕1 closed
🎣
Pee Dee NWR
Anson County, NC
!4 special✕2 closed
🦌🐦🕊️🐇🎣
7.9K huntable acres
Pocosin Lakes NWR
Tyrrell County, NC
!4 special✕1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣
107K huntable acres
Roanoke River NWR
Bertie County, NC
!8 special
🦌🦆🦃🐇
21.3K huntable acres
Swanquarter NWR
Hyde County, NC
✓1 open✕2 closed
🦆
6.4K huntable acres
Counties with federal public hunting land
- Anson County 1 refuge
- Bertie County 1 refuge
- Camden County 1 refuge
- Carteret County 1 refuge
- Chowan County 1 refuge
- Currituck County 2 refuges
- Dare County 2 refuges
- Gates County 1 refuge
- Hyde County 4 refuges
- Martin County 1 refuge
- Pasquotank County 1 refuge
- Richmond County 1 refuge
- Tyrrell County 1 refuge
- Washington County 1 refuge
Hunting in North Carolina: what to know
Licenses & seasons
Refuge hunts follow North Carolina seasons, bag limits and license requirements set by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Refuges may be more restrictive — never less — than state rules.
Refuge-specific rules
Each refuge publishes hunt regulations in 50 CFR Part 32 and in its hunt brochure. Units marked special regulations may limit species, dates, weapons, or require quota permits.
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