WRC Permit Hunts are divided into three primary categories; General, Youth, Youth/Adult and Handicapped HuntsI. The link to each of these categories is always located at the top left of the page.
General hunts are offered on various areas across the state for dove, deer, bear, waterfowl, tundra swan, turkey, small game, and furbearer trapping.
General Hunts are available to any properly licensed hunter or a hunter that is otherwise legally able to hunt.. This includes handicapped hunters and youth hunters as well. Some General Hunts are specific for youth only. Some General Hunts may be specific for an adult/youth combination only. Some General Hunts are specific for youth only but are also WRC – Facilitated.
Most General Hunts have a quota or a set maximum number of hunters that are allowed on any given day of use. Quota hunts do have a deadline for applying for the hunt. This can be as much as four months in advance of the hunting date. In the case that not enough hunters apply to fill the available slots for quota hunts, the hunts left over are treated as leftover hunts and are available on a first come basis. It is possible for the same hunter to obtain several of these leftover hunts, even for the same location. However, some General Hunts have no quota and simply require obtaining the permit from any point-of-sale location (license agent) prior to going on the hunt.
Many General Hunts allow for two or more hunters to apply for the same hunt/date as a party hunt. For hunts that allow party hunting, the first hunter that applies will be assigned a party hunt number. They should then provide this number to the other members of the group or party that desire to apply as a group. This way, either all members of the party get drawn or none of them get drawn. The chance of a party hunt getting drawn is just as equal as that of a single hunter with the exception of when the hunt nears its set quota or capacity. An example of this would be in the case of a hunt that has a quota of ten hunters. If the first nine spots have been filled and the next hunter or party drawn is a party of two or more, then they would not get the tenth spot as their party would put the number of hunters drawn as exceeding the quota limit of ten hunters. The drawing would then continue until a single hunter was drawn which would then make the even quota of ten. The party hunt that did get drawn however would be placed in one of their other choice dates provided there was a hunt choice date that had enough openings left to prevent exceeding its quota.
Hunters should use caution that they do not exceed party hunt quotas. If a specific hunt allows two hunters then three hunters should not attempt to apply as the same party. In addition, hunters should be cautious of applying for multiple hunt/dates that occur on the same dates, especially if they are applying as a party hunt. Doing so may prevent the party from getting drawn for a hunt that is on the same date that one of the hunters has already been drawn for but a different hunt.
Hunters should keep in mind that permit hunt locations might have their own set of specific regulations that may conflict with what the hunter is used to on even adjoining Game Lands.
Not all permit hunts are held on game lands. Some are held on State Forest Service, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuges and other properties.
On all General Hunts except Youth Hunts, only those that are actually named in the permit are allowed to participate in the hunt even if the companion has no intention of taking a weapon or using it. This does not prevent a companion from simply going along and being their as in the case of taking pictures. However, the companion would not be able to assist the hunter with his equipment or calling as in the case of turkey hunting. This would not be the case with members of a party hunt.
IMPORTANT: This information does not serve as a regulatory guide and is compiled from the 2011/12 Permit Hunts Publication as an aid to the hunting public. Hunters and trappers should always refer to the North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest for regulations and local laws.