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North Carolina american woodcock regulations, 2026–27
Last updated 2026-09-24 · from NCWRC data · 2026–27 season year
North Carolina's 2026–27 american woodcock season runs December 10, 2026 to January 30, 2027 — 52 days afield. The bag is 3 per day, 9 in possession. Hunter orange is not required for this species. Stamps: Federal HIP registration. Read against the 2026–27 season year, from NCWRC.
Season and limits
- Season
- American woodcock — December 10, 2026 to January 30, 2027
- Bag limit
- 3 per day, 9 in possession
- Hunter orange
- not required for this speciesAnyone hunting bear, feral swine, rabbit, squirrel, grouse, pheasant or quail with a firearm must wear a cap or hat of hunter orange, or an outer garment of hunter orange visible from all sides.
- Stamps
- Federal HIP registration
- Sundays
- North Carolina allows Sunday hunting on private land with some limits, and restricts it on many public game lands. The per-game-land rule is not carried in this app — check the game land before you go.
- Migratory bird: HIP certification is required in addition to the hunting licence.
- North Carolina sits near the southern end of the Atlantic flyway, so the season opens late — the birds arrive on hard cold fronts in December rather than living here in October.
- Not on NCWRC's hunter-orange list, which names grouse, pheasant and quail. The possession limit is three times the daily bag.
Licences
- Hunting licence
Everyone hunting, resident or not — A combination or sportsman licence covers it; NCWRC sells several ladders. - Hunter education certificate
Every first-time licence buyer — North Carolina requires it of new hunters regardless of birth year, unlike Michigan, Wisconsin and Virginia, which all set a date. - Game Lands licence
Anyone hunting a game land — A separate privilege from the hunting licence, and the game lands are most of the huntable public ground in the state. - Federal HIP certification
Woodcock and every other migratory bird — Free registration with the federal harvest survey, renewed each season.
The other questions
- How to hunt american woodcock in North Carolina
- When does North Carolina's 2026–27 american woodcock season open?
- Where to hunt american woodcock in North Carolina
- North Carolina american woodcock hunting report
- American woodcock hunting in North Carolina — the whole picture
- American woodcock — biology, range and how it is hunted