New to NC, New to Hunting, and New to Hunt Talk

Hello. I recently accepted a job in Wake County, NC and move my family from MA. Now that we're in a gun friendly state and have a bit more means to enjoy it, I'm just getting into hunting. I've had the bug since I was a kid in Texas, but never had the opportunity. I found Randy's YouTube channel and like the thought of hunting public land, unguided, with a pack and rifle. I never saw myself sitting in a blind or tree stand watching a feeder. I like to hike and camp, and this style suits me. I look forward to reading your tips, suggestions, and instructions to help me be successful in the field and put food on the table.

I lived in Raliegh for several years, really liked it. There are several hunting clubs in the area that you might think of joining. Some may have a waiting list, but worth it to get some guys that might mentor you. That will sharply cut down your learning curve. It probably won't be the style you referenced above, you'd have to go to the western part of the state and even then its more hills than mountains. Still, likeminded guys getting together and sharing stories would be fun.

Welcome to NC and HuntTalk! I will say that, NC hunting is nothing like that of the West, but is far better than MA! Finding a place to hunt around Wake Co will be tough, but that area does have some good quality Whitetail for NC standards. Anyway, I'd definitely focus on heading west to hunt if I were you. As for hunting over a feeder, not my thing either and have never done it, but it is definitely a common hunting practice around here.

Welcome!

welcome to Hunttalk

Welcome to NC. I'm in Fayetteville so a little south of you. I've been here for 10 years and it took me a few years of living hear to figure out the hunting here. I own a small tract of land so although I don't hunt public land too often, in my opinion, NC actually has some pretty nice hunting opportunities on public lands. Although yes the public lands can be crowded, you can still find some honey holes off the beaten path if your willing to get away from the roads a little. There are several good game lands near you but closer to Sanford off HWY 1. If you have access to a john boat or small craft, you can normally use the water ways to get away from the crowds and get deeper into the WMAs.

Also I would highly recommend looking into the permit opportunities. At only $5 per permit application its fairly cheap to do. Not a lot of hunters here participate in the permit hunts from what I can tell so drawing them has pretty good odds and you can get into some interesting and low pressured areas that only get hunted during the permit hunts with some as few as 1 week a year and only 30 hunters at that. Also if you have any interest in black bear look into bear hunting the coast. We have some of the largest black bear in North America here.

Otherwise good luck and let me know if I can answer any questions for you!

Welcome from your neighbor to the north. I don't know a lot about hunting in NC, but I can say that you likely have more opportunities for success there than as a non resident out west. It may not be wide open but for days in the field per dollar spent its nice. That said don't mess around long before you take a trip west, you'll never regret it. I'd say a hunt in the mountains near Ashville would give you a pretty good feel for a western high country hunt. I don't know in NC has wilderness areas in the national forest, but if they do, backpack in for some added adventure.

Welcome from the north side of Wake county. There is definitely opportunity around, game lands get hammered for ducks, but not as much for deer. The permits for anything other than waterfowl are fairly easy to come by as said above. I hope you enjoy the area and let me know if I can help you get started!