North Carolina State Game Lands

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is a government agency created in 1947 to conserve and sustain wildlife resources in the state.  The commission manages a large number of game lands throughout the state for hunting, fishing and wildlife-related activities.  Some of the game lands are owned by the commission, but many are owned by other federal, state, local or private entities and managed as game land.  As the primary use on these lands is hunting, be sure to wear blaze orange if hiking during hunting season.

Game Lands:

Bladen Lakes State Forest Game Land:

Bladen Lakes State Forest is also state Game land.

Brinkleyville Game Land:

Brinkleyville Game Land protects over 3,000 acres in Halifax County along Little Fishing Creek and Rocky Swamp.

Buckhorn Game Land:

Buckhorn Game Land protects almost 500 acres in western Orange County.

Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land:

Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land is State Game Land leased from the Army Corps of Engineers surrounding Falls Lake north of Raleigh and Durham.

Currituck National Wildlife Refuge Game Land:

Currituck National Wildlife Refuge in the northern Outer Banks is also state Game Land.

Green River Game Land:

Green River Game Land is over 15,000 acres of protected land around the scenic Green River Gorge.

Green Swamp Game Land:

The Nature Conservancy's Green Swamp Preserve is managed as Game Land in Brunswick County.

Holly Shelter Game Land:

Holly Shelter Game Land is over 60,000 acres of swamp and pocosin land in Pender County.

Jordan Game Land:

Jordan Game Land is game land surrounding B. Everett Jordan Lake.

Lower Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land:

Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge is part of the state Game Land program.

Nantahala National Forest Game Land:

Nantahala National Forest in western North Carolina is also state Game Land.

Needmore Game Land:

Needmore Game Land protects land along the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Macon Counties.

Pisgah National Forest Game Land:

Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina is also state Game Land.

Pond Mountain Game Land:

Pond Mountain Game Land protects over 3,600 acres of scenic mountain vistas in the northwest corner of the state.

Roanoke Island Marshes Game Land:

Roanoke Island Marshes Game Land is Game Land protecting the marshes on the south side of Roanoke Island.

Rockfish Creek Game Land:

The Nature Conservancy's Calloway Forest Preserve in the Sandhills is managed as Rockfish Creek Game Land.

South Mountains Game Land:

South Mountains Game Land covers over 21,000 acres around the South Mountains in Burke, Cleveland, McDowell and Rutherford Counties.

Stones Creek Game Land:

Stones Creek Game Land protects over 4,000 acres in the Onslow Bight region adjacent to Camp Lejeune.

Toxaway Game Land:

Toxaway Game Land protects over 5,000 acres of the Jocassee Gorges in Transylvania County.

Uwharrie National Forest Game Land:

Uwharrie National Forest is also state Game Land.

External Links:

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission website: https://www.ncwildlife.org/