6 Things North Carolina Law Says About Hunting on Sundays

Hunt with a firearm on a Sunday in North Carolina, and 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is off limits.

With deer season in full swing, those hours are easy to forget.

Here’s what North Carolina law says about hunting on Sundays.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Hunting laws and regulations are subject to change, so confirm the current rules with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

1. Private Land Permission

Sunday hunting on private land is open to the landowner, the landowner’s family, and anyone with written permission from the landowner.

If you’re hunting a friend’s property, that permission has to be in writing.

A friendly handshake won’t count.

The statute covers wild animals and upland game birds taken with firearms.

North Carolina opened private land to Sunday firearm hunting through a 2015 law that took effect October 1 of that year.

2. Public Game Lands

Sunday hunting on public land didn’t open until a 2017 law, which the governor signed on July 25 of that year.

That law lets any person hunt wild animals and upland game birds with firearms on Sunday on state public lands managed for hunting, under Wildlife Resources Commission rules.

Whether a particular game land is open on Sunday depends on the days-per-week designation the commission gives it.

A Seven-Days-per-Week game land is open for hunting every day of the week during the open season, Sundays included.

Pisgah Game Land is a Seven-Days-per-Week area.

Four-Days-per-Week areas limit hunting to Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Six-Days-per-Week and Three-Days-per-Week areas leave Sunday off their regular schedules.

Look up your game land’s designation before you go.

3. Three-Hour Firearm Ban

If you hunt with a firearm on Sunday, the hours from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. are closed to you, on private land and game lands alike.

Controlled hunting preserves on private land are the one exception to the three-hour ban.

A 2020 lawsuit challenged Sunday hunting limits, among them the three-hour ban and the Sunday waterfowl ban.

The lawsuit argued the Sunday limits violate the state constitution’s right to hunt and fish.

A unanimous Court of Appeals panel upheld the laws on April 16, 2025.

The court reasoned that lawmakers may regulate hunting for the public welfare, such as keeping the peace for people who don’t hunt.

The state Supreme Court declined to hear the case in December 2025, leaving the restrictions in place.

4. 500-Yard Worship Buffer

You have to stay 500 yards from a place of religious worship or any of its accessory structures when you hunt with a firearm on a Sunday.

That’s 1,500 feet.

The statute leaves the definition of a place of religious worship to G.S. 14-54.1(b).

5. Hunting Deer With Dogs

If you hunt deer with dogs on a Sunday, you can’t use a firearm to take a deer that the dogs run or chase.

The statute words the rule around the use of a firearm.

If you hunt with a bow, read the full text of G.S. 103-2 for yourself.

The commission’s 2026-27 season dates run regular deer seasons from September 12 through January 1, with dates that depend on your region and your weapon.

6. Migratory Bird Ban

Sunday hunting of migratory game birds, such as ducks and geese, is off-limits.

Under the statute, your Sunday duck or goose hunt is prohibited unless the commission authorizes it by proclamation or rule.

The commission's 2026-27 proclamation says there shall be no hunting of migratory game birds by any method on Sundays.

The proclamation's light goose season, for example, runs November 7 through March 10, and the Sundays inside that window are closed to you.

County Ballot Option

A North Carolina county can prohibit Sunday hunting by ordinance.

The ordinance takes effect only after a majority of voters approve it in a countywide referendum, under a state law on county ordinances.

Any ban has to cover the entire county and run from January 1 through December 31.

If you hunt from a neighboring county with no Sunday ban, the ordinance has to let you retrieve any animal you lawfully shot from there.

Class 3 Misdemeanor Penalty

If you hunt on Sunday in a manner the statute or Wildlife Resources Commission rules prohibit, you're guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.

The statute grants wildlife protectors the authority to enforce it.