North Carolina › Species › Rabbit
Small game, upland birds
North Carolina Rabbit hunting, 2026-27
The rabbit rules for North Carolina, row by row.
Photo: Jim, the Photographer (CC BY 2.0)
North Carolina sets 2 dated rows for rabbits in 2026-27, from Oct 12, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027. Dates, limits, licenses, public land and the rules that apply are all on this page.
How the digest sums up rabbits
- What you may keep: Daily 5.
- Dates in brief: Oct. 12-Feb. 28; box traps allowed with a hunting license.
- Worth knowing: Extended falconry season with daily 3.
NCWRC source page (as of Sep 18, 2026), checked October 25, 2026.
GearHeading out for small game season? Small game gear checklist →
Rabbit season dates for 2026-27
Filter the rabbit rows by zone, county group or method.
| Season | Zone or area | Methods | Opens | Closes | Days | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting and box-trapping | Statewide | Firearms, archery, dogs, box traps (hunting license; no trapping license needed) | Oct 12, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 140 | |
| Extended falconry season | Statewide | Falconry | Oct 12, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 140 |
Rabbit season notes
- Sale of live rabbits prohibited.
- 15A NCAC 10B .0216(c)-(d): daily 3, possession 6.
From NCWRC page, NCWRC digest page and the Season Dates at a Glance, checked October 25, 2026.
Where to hunt rabbits on public ground
74 properties list rabbit in their game lists, largest first, the first 60 shown. Game land days come from each game land's designation.
| Property | Type | Days a week | Acres | Counties | Listed as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nantahala National Forest | National Forest | 533,772 | Macon · Graham +5 | rabbit | |
| Nantahala | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 527,696 | Macon · Graham +4 | rabbit |
| Pisgah | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 517,774 | Transylvania · McDowell +10 | rabbit |
| Pisgah National Forest | National Forest | 511,122 | Transylvania · McDowell +10 | rabbit | |
| Croatan National Forest | National Forest | 167,687 | Craven · Carteret +1 | rabbit | |
| Croatan | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 166,267 | Craven · Carteret +1 | rabbit |
| Alligator River NWR | National Wildlife Refuge | 160,000 | Dare · Hyde | rabbit | |
| Pocosin Lakes NWR | National Wildlife Refuge | 110,106 | Tyrrell · Hyde +1 | rabbit | |
| Sandhills | Three-days a week | 3 days | 65,235 | Richmond · Scotland +1 | rabbit |
| Holly Shelter | Six-days a week | 6 days | 65,139 | Pender | rabbit |
| Jordan | Six-days a week | 6 days | 40,462 | Chatham · Durham +1 | rabbit |
| B. Everett Jordan Lake | Corps of Engineers Lake | 40,115 | Chatham · Durham +1 | rabbit | |
| Butner-Falls of Neuse | Six-days a week | 6 days | 37,480 | Wake · Durham +1 | rabbit |
| Angola Bay | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 34,148 | Pender · Duplin | rabbit |
| Chowan Swamp | Six-days a week | 6 days | 33,769 | Gates · Hertford +1 | rabbit |
| Bladen Lakes State Forest | Three-days a week | 3 days | 33,672 | Bladen | rabbit |
| Falls Lake | Corps of Engineers Lake | 31,844 | Wake · Durham +1 | rabbit | |
| Lower Roanoke River Wetlands | Permit only | Permit only | 31,620 | Bertie · Martin | rabbit |
| Gull Rock | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 31,336 | Hyde | rabbit |
| South Mountains | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 22,583 | Rutherford · Burke +2 | rabbit |
| Juniper Creek | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 20,481 | Brunswick · Columbus | rabbit |
| Green Swamp | Six-days a week | 6 days | 18,577 | Brunswick | rabbit |
| R. Wayne Bailey-Caswell | Three-days a week | 3 days | 18,014 | Caswell | rabbit |
| Green River | Six-days a week | 6 days | 15,224 | Polk · Henderson | rabbit |
| DuPont State Forest | Permit only | Permit only | 11,949 | Transylvania · Henderson | rabbit |
| Yadkin River | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 11,636 | Rowan · Davidson +3 | rabbit |
| Harris | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 11,527 | Wake · Chatham | rabbit |
| Suggs Mill Pond | Permit only | Permit only | 11,117 | Bladen · Cumberland | rabbit |
| Upper Roanoke River Wetlands | Permit only | Permit only | 11,065 | Northampton · Halifax +1 | rabbit |
| Columbus County | Four-days a week | 4 days | 10,744 | Columbus · Brunswick | rabbit |
| Goose Creek | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 10,376 | Beaufort · Pamlico | rabbit |
| Embro | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 9,381 | Warren · Halifax | rabbit |
| Pee Dee River | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 8,938 | Richmond · Anson +2 | rabbit |
| Pee Dee NWR | National Wildlife Refuge | 8,500 | Anson · Richmond | rabbit | |
| Shocco Creek | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 8,113 | Warren · Franklin +2 | rabbit |
| Cape Fear River Wetlands | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 7,548 | Pender · New Hanover | rabbit |
| Carteret County | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 7,144 | Carteret | rabbit |
| Whitehall Plantation | Permit only | Permit only | 6,734 | Bladen · Pender | rabbit |
| Van Swamp | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 5,504 | Washington · Beaufort | rabbit |
| Tillery | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 5,253 | Halifax | rabbit |
| Needmore | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 5,237 | Swain · Macon | rabbit |
| Mayo | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 5,101 | Person | rabbit |
| Bertie County | Six-days a week | 6 days | 4,238 | Bertie | rabbit |
| Stones Creek | Six-days a week | 6 days | 4,136 | Onslow | rabbit |
| Pond Mountain | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 3,701 | Ashe | rabbit |
| Cold Mountain | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 3,630 | Haywood | rabbit |
| Brinkleyville | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 3,341 | Halifax | rabbit |
| Sandy Mush | Three-days a week | 3 days | 2,862 | Buncombe · Madison | rabbit |
| Voice of America | Permit only | Permit only | 2,818 | Beaufort | rabbit |
| Chatham | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 2,671 | Chatham | rabbit |
| White Oak River | Three-days a week | 3 days | 2,597 | Onslow | rabbit |
| Mitchell River | Four-days a week | 4 days | 2,432 | Surry · Alleghany | rabbit |
| Hyco | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 2,382 | Person | rabbit |
| William H. Silver | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 2,030 | Haywood | rabbit |
| Lantern Acres | Six-days a week | 6 days | 1,831 | Tyrrell · Washington | rabbit |
| Dan River | Three-days a week | 3 days | 1,705 | Rockingham | rabbit |
| Perkins | Four-days a week | 4 days | 1,696 | Davie | rabbit |
| Texas Plantation | Permit only | Permit only | 1,503 | Tyrrell | rabbit |
| Lee | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 1,441 | Lee · Chatham | rabbit |
| Sutton Lake | Seven-days a week | 7 days | 1,357 | New Hanover | rabbit |
Game lists from NCWRC, USFS, USFWS and other managers’ pages in our land data, retrieved 2026-10-25; days from the regional game land tables. All game lands · Game land hunting days.
Limits and licenses for rabbits
Bag and possession rules for rabbits, and what each license costs through Go Outdoors North Carolina.
| Covers | Limits |
|---|---|
| Rabbit | Daily 5; no possession or season limit. |
| Rabbit (extended falconry season) | Daily 3; possession 6. |
What a rabbit hunter buys
| License | Who | Term | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Hunting | resident | Annual | $32 |
| Comprehensive Hunting | resident | Annual | $49 |
| State Hunting | nonresident | Annual | $124 |
| State Hunting 10-Day | nonresident | 10-day | $99 |
| Game Land License | anyone | Annual | $20 |
| Falconry Hunting License | anyone | Annual | $32 |
NCWRC digest bag limits and the license and fee table, checked October 25, 2026. North Carolina hunting license guide.
Rules that apply to rabbits
Legal time for rabbits
North Carolina times rabbits by the general rule, a half hour either side of sunrise and sunset.
Rabbit hunting on Sundays
G.S. 103-2 allows Sunday hunting for rabbits, with the midday firearm break and the 500-yard place-of-worship buffer.
Orange requirement for rabbits
Anyone hunting rabbits with a firearm wears a hunter orange cap, hat or outer garment visible from all sides (G.S. 113-291.8).
Rabbit: report and register
No harvest report is required for rabbits.
shooting hours, G.S. 113-291.8 hunter orange, G.S. 103-2 Sunday hunting, digest baiting rules, harvest reporting, checked October 25, 2026. Sunday hunting guide · Legal shooting hours.
Weapons and methods for rabbits
| Season | Lawful | Unlawful |
|---|---|---|
| Small game, furbearers, nongame | Pistols of any caliber/barrel for rabbits, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, furbearers and legal nongame; blunt arrows for small game. | Shooting into a squirrel nest. |
Rabbit method rules
- Dog training and field trials: No running or chasing deer in closed season unless under the owner's control; no axes, saws or climbing gear while training dogs in closed season; game lands: no unleashed dogs April 1-Aug. 15 west of I-95 and March 15-June 15 east of I-95; field trial participants need a license (own-state license for Commission-sanctioned trials).
- Sale of wildlife: Generally unlawful to buy or sell whole animals or parts (exceptions by license/tag); unlawful sale of deer or turkey: Class 2 misdemeanor, $500 minimum (G.S. 113-294(b)).
Penalty rules for rabbits
- General violations: Misdemeanor: Class 3 for a first conviction; Class 2 for a second within three years (G.S. 113-135).
From laws compiled from the NCWRC digest, 15A NCAC 10B and N.C.G.S. Chapter 113, checked October 25, 2026. North Carolina hunting laws.
Rabbit permit hunt list
Permit hunts add rabbits opportunities on permit-only game lands and special tracts: 2 items this year.
| Hunt | Name | Weapon | Deadline | Quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice of America Game Land – Small Game & Webless Migratory Bird | Small Game & Webless Migratory Bird | Any Legal Weapon Type | Oct. 1, 2026 | 2 |
| White Oak River Game Land – Small Game | Small Game | Any Legal Weapon Type | Aug. 10, 2026 | 12 |
NCWRC Permit Hunting Opportunities, checked October 25, 2026. Every permit hunt.
Questions about rabbits
What is the first legal day for rabbits in North Carolina?
The earliest 2026-27 row opens Oct 12, 2026 (Hunting and box-trapping) and the last closes Feb 28, 2027.
Can you use a rifle for rabbits?
Small game, furbearers, nongame: Pistols of any caliber/barrel for rabbits, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, furbearers and legal nongame; blunt arrows for small game. Not legal: Shooting into a squirrel nest.
What license do you need for rabbits in North Carolina?
From the NCWRC fee table: State Hunting (resident) $32; Comprehensive Hunting (resident) $49; State Hunting (nonresident) $124; State Hunting 10-Day (nonresident) $99, plus the $5 transaction fee per order.
Is there a season limit on rabbits?
Daily 5; no possession or season limit. Daily 3; possession 6.
Can you hunt rabbits on Sunday in North Carolina?
G.S. 103-2 allows Sunday hunting for rabbits, with the midday firearm break and the 500-yard place-of-worship buffer.
What hours apply to rabbit hunting in North Carolina?
North Carolina times rabbits by the general rule, a half hour either side of sunrise and sunset.
What paperwork follows a rabbit harvest?
No harvest report is required for rabbits.
Does the orange law cover rabbits?
Anyone hunting rabbits with a firearm wears a hunter orange cap, hat or outer garment visible from all sides (G.S. 113-291.8).
Which game lands list rabbits?
The biggest areas listing rabbit are Nantahala National Forest, Nantahala Game Land, Pisgah Game Land and Pisgah National Forest, out of 74.
Other photos on this page: grendelkhan (CC BY-SA 2.0); btrentler (CC BY 2.0); Drew de F Fawkes (CC BY 2.0); Mike's Birds (CC BY-SA 2.0).