North Carolina Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A North Carolina hunting license costs $49 for a resident adult and $248 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-11-06).
North Carolina builds its hunting license out of two separate fees that most hunters end up buying together: the base State Hunting License for small game, and the Big Game Privilege that unlocks deer, bear and turkey. Together they make up what NCWRC calls the Comprehensive Hunting License.
- Non-resident 10-day hunting + big game privilege $198
Resident: $49 Comprehensive Hunting License, or $32 State Hunting License + $18 Big Game Privilege. Non-resident: $124 State Hunting License + $124 Big Game Privilege = $248. A $20 Game Land License is only needed for game-land activities not covered by a hunting, trapping or inland fishing license. Non-residents planning a short trip can buy a 10-day State Hunting license ($99) plus a 10-day Big Game privilege ($99). Fees from the NCWRC regulations digest, last updated July 14, 2026; a $5 transaction fee is added per order.
Fee last verified 2026-11-06.
Heading out for North Carolina hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What a North Carolina hunting license costs
Residents can buy the $49 Comprehensive Hunting License, which covers hunting, big game, game lands and waterfowl, or a $32 State Hunting License plus the $18 Big Game Privilege. Non-residents pay $124 for the State Hunting License and $124 for the Big Game Privilege, $248 in total to hunt deer and turkey. Non-residents planning a shorter trip can instead buy a 10-day hunting license for $99 plus a $99 10-day big game privilege. A $5 transaction fee is added to each order.
The Game Land license
North Carolina's State Hunting License already includes hunting on game lands, so most hunters do not need anything extra for public land. The separate $20 Game Land License is for people using game lands for activities their hunting, trapping or inland fishing license does not cover.
How to buy your North Carolina hunting license
Go Outdoors North Carolina, run by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, handles online sales for every license tier described above. Licenses are also sold through authorized agents statewide.
Hunting in North Carolina: what to expect
North Carolina's geography splits cleanly into three hunting regions: the Appalachian mountains in the west, the rolling Piedmont in the middle, and the Coastal Plain in the east, each with a genuinely different hunting character. The Coastal Plain's agricultural land and pocosin wetlands hold strong deer numbers and some of the best public waterfowl hunting on the Atlantic Flyway, particularly around the state's managed impoundments. Turkey hunting has rebounded strongly statewide over the past two decades, and the western mountains offer a smaller but real black bear season, with North Carolina holding one of the densest bear populations in the eastern US.
Game lands and hunting seasons by region
North Carolina's game lands system covers roughly two million acres, with some of the biggest blocks in the western mountains around Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests offering true wilderness hunting for bear and deer. Season dates and bag limits shift by deer management unit rather than applying uniformly statewide, so hunters moving between the mountains, Piedmont and coast need to check the specific unit they're hunting rather than assuming one set of dates covers the whole state. The Coastal Plain's game lands, many built around managed waterfowl impoundments, require their own separate permit process for the best duck hunts during peak season.
Big Game Privilege, Game Lands and the 10-day trip
The $49 resident and $248 non-resident figures in the finder are the deer-and-turkey prices: the resident Comprehensive Hunting License, and the non-resident State Hunting License ($124) plus Big Game Privilege ($124). Non-residents planning a short trip can buy a 10-day license at $99 plus a 10-day big game privilege at $99, or $198 total, which beats $248 if you are not staying a season.
Game lands and hunting seasons split by region. A coastal deer season is not a mountain season. Buy the comprehensive license, then read the regulations for the game land you will park on, because some tracts are permit-only, some are still-hunting only, and some close for waterfowl management on dates that surprise deer hunters.
Hunting on game lands is included in the State Hunting License, so a hunter does not need the $20 Game Land License just to hunt there. GoOutdoorsNorthCarolina.com is the checkout. Hunter education is required for first-time hunters. Bring the card. The 10-day pair at $198 is the visitor math if you are not staying a season; the $248 annual pair is for someone who will come back.
How to renew a North Carolina hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in North Carolina. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. Resident figure is the Comprehensive Hunting License (hunting, big game, game lands and waterfowl). Non-resident figure is the State Hunting License plus the Big Game Privilege, the realistic "can hunt deer/turkey" price.
The fastest route is the official North Carolina online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the North Carolina fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.