After a four-year effort to implement the Outdoor Heritage Enhanced Act, North Carolina finally opened its doors to Sunday hunting on public land this year.

Since passing the Outdoor Heritage Enhanced Act in 2017, North Carolina hunters have been hoping to hunt on public lands on Sundays. Beginning this fall, Sunday hunting will be open on 51 game lands, including all four national forests. Although many game lands will still be closed to Sunday hunting, this is still a significant step. North Carolina hunters will now have access to public land seven days a week like other user groups, and the expanded access to 1.6 million acres across the state will support hunter recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) efforts, according to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF).

North Carolina was one of the few remaining states that did not allow Sunday hunting on public land. Hunters were the only user group prohibited from game lands on Sundays, despite them contributing to and purchasing game lands through the “user pays – public benefits” American System of Conservation Funding.

READ: HOW TO HUNT SOUTHERN PINE FLATS

Opening public lands to Sunday hunting has been a top priority for the CSF. The CSF will continue to advocate for additional public land Sunday hunting opportunities in North Carolina.

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