Haywood County, North Carolina
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Black Bear
- Group
- Mountain
- Area
- N/A
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 139
Draw odds for Black Beararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 767
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Eastern Wild Turkey — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 158
Draw odds for Eastern Wild Turkeyaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for Black Bear, White-tailed Deer, Eastern Wild Turkey so far. Wild Turkey also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
Sign in to contributeHaywood County encompasses some of the highest and most dramatic mountain terrain in the eastern United States, bounded by Great Smoky Mountains National Park and dominated by Pisgah and Nantahala national forest lands. Black bear populations here rank among the highest in the state, supported by productive cove hardwoods and abundant mast crops, and the county hunting identity is inseparable from its bear hunting tradition. White-tailed deer and wild turkeys occupy the lower elevations while the park boundary creates a sanctuary effect that pushes wildlife into adjacent huntable national forest.
High mountain terrain with peaks exceeding 6,000 feet in the Plott Balsams and Great Balsam Mountains. Maggie Valley, Waynesville, and the Pigeon River valley anchor the lower elevation areas, with mixed northern hardwood forests dominating mid-elevations and spruce-fir at the summits.
Pisgah and Nantahala national forests cover the majority of the county; Great Smoky Mountains National Park (no hunting) borders the south. Extensive Forest Service road network and trailheads facilitate access to national forest hunting zones.
Low to moderate; Great Smoky Mountains NP boundary and national forest status allow good public land hunting, though popular trailheads get crowded on opening weekends.
OTC.
Black bear hunting is the county signature pursuit; bear baiting (legal in NC) is practiced extensively on national forest land. Wild turkeys occupy lower coves and hardwood hollows. Ruffed grouse hunting in high-elevation hardwoods is exceptional for those willing to cover ground.
Top-tier NC black bear county with consistently high harvest numbers; Great Smoky Mountains NP sanctuary effect pushes bears into adjacent national forest hunting zones each fall.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Haywood County— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about Haywood County.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: NCWRC county-based deer management units. Community info last updated 106d ago.