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North Carolina › Hunting seasons › Deer zones › Northwestern CWD Management Area

Deer season zone

Northwestern CWD Management Area deer zone, 2026-27

5 counties: archery, blackpowder and gun dates.

Deer zonesDeer pageDeer gear
Sep 12–Oct 30Archery
Oct 31–Nov 13Blackpowder
Nov 14–Jan 1Gun
13,1882025-26 harvest

Photo: GlacierNPS (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

Northwestern CWD Management Area counties and dates

Hunters in the Northwestern CWD Management Area zone get bows from Sept. 12, muzzleloaders from Oct 31 and any lawful weapon from Nov 14, 2026 through Jan. 1.

Forsyth · Stokes · Surry · Wilkes · Yadkin

NCWRC deer seasons, checked October 25, 2026.

When deer are open in Northwestern CWD Management Area

SeasonOpensClosesDays
ArcherySep 12, 2026Oct 30, 202649
BlackpowderOct 31, 2026Nov 13, 202614
GunNov 14, 2026Jan 1, 202749
Special Early Season (CWD Management Area)Aug 22, 2026Aug 23, 20262
Youth Deer Hunting DaysSep 26, 2026Sep 27, 20262

Antlerless deer in Northwestern CWD Management Area

Weapon seasonAntlerless days
ArcheryAll open days
BlackpowderAll open days
GunAll open days

NCWRC deer seasons and Season Dates at a Glance, checked October 25, 2026.

Northwestern CWD Management Area harvest, 2025-26

In 2025-26 these counties registered 13,188 deer.

CountyTotalAntlered bucksDoesGunBow and crossbowGame lands
Wilkes3,3281,8591,3372,37839526
Stokes3,1921,5751,4871,86966722
Surry3,0941,6931,2782,16541914
Yadkin2,0991,1598631,5162360
Forsyth1,4758715478044610
Northwestern CWD Management Area reported deer by season05,00010,00015,00020,00019-20: 12,58512,58519-2020-21: 12,66912,66920-2121-22: 11,40411,40421-2222-23: 8,7838,78322-2323-24: 11,68111,68123-2424-25: 11,09711,09724-2525-26: 13,18813,18825-26deer per season

NCWRC 2025-26 deer harvest by county; earlier seasons from the Harvest Statistics page, checked October 25, 2026.

Northwestern CWD Management Area: county-level deer rules

CountyLocal deer notesBear unit
Forsythlights restricted from a half hour after sunset; Northwest CWD Management Area; urban archery: LewisvillePiedmont BMU
Stokeslights restricted from a half hour after sunset; Northwest CWD Management Area; urban archery: KingPiedmont BMU
Surrylights restricted from a half hour after sunset; Northwest CWD Management Area; urban archery: ElkinMountain BMU
WilkesNorthwest CWD Management Area; urban archery: Elkin, North Wilkesboro, RondaMountain BMU
YadkinNorthwest CWD Management Area; urban archery: East Bend, Jonesville, YadkinvillePiedmont BMU

Whether dogs may run deer in the Northwestern CWD Management Area counties depends on the six-county dog line and the listed eastern exceptions.

NCWRC deer regulations, NCWRC CWD pages and 15A NCAC 10B .0115, checked October 25, 2026.

Where to hunt public land in Northwestern CWD Management Area

Deer game lands by acreage, 8 total.

Game landDaysAcresCounties in zone
Buffalo Cove7 days7,030Wilkes
Thurmond Chatham7 days6,542Wilkes
Mitchell River4 days2,432Surry
Kings Creek6 days2,361Wilkes
Little Fork State Forest6 days1,270Wilkes
Kerr Scott6 days521Wilkes
Paynes Branch3 days211Forsyth · Stokes
Hill FarmPermit only157Stokes

Game land records from NCWRC, checked October 25, 2026. Game land hunting days.

Other zones close to Northwestern CWD Management Area

Northwestern12 counties, gun Nov 21Central19 counties, gun Nov 14Western A6 counties, gun Nov 28Western B3 counties, gun Nov 28
Hunting law summaryAll species pagesBear unit dates
White-tailed buck emerging from the tree line at the edge of a field
White-tailed buck emerging from the tree line at the edge of a fieldPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)
White-tailed deer fawn in tall grass
White-tailed deer fawn in tall grassPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)
White-tailed deer moving through autumn woods
White-tailed deer moving through autumn woodsPhoto: NPS Photo (Public domain)

Northwestern CWD Management Area: common questions

How many antlerless days does Northwestern CWD Management Area have in gun season?

All open days

Which counties make up Northwestern CWD Management Area?

Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin.

When can rifles be used in Northwestern CWD Management Area?

Any lawful weapon from Nov 14, 2026 until Jan 1, 2027.

Deer reported in Northwestern CWD Management Area last season?

13,188 in 2025-26.