Pender County, North Carolina
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Black Bear
- Group
- Coastal Plain
- Area
- N/A
- Public land
- N/A
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 132
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
- 3,271
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
- 595
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
AI-compiled · sourcedPender County is home to Holly Shelter Game Land, one of North Carolina's largest and most productive public hunting areas, covering roughly 70,000 acres of longleaf pine savannas, pocosins, and bottomland hardwoods. Black bear populations are among the highest in the coastal plain here, and deer and turkey hunting is consistently productive across the expansive game land. The county represents a premier public land hunting destination in eastern North Carolina.
Flat coastal plain with longleaf pine flatwoods, dense pocosin wetlands, Holly Shelter Creek bottomlands, and drainages emptying toward the Cape Fear River system.
Moderate. Holly Shelter is large enough to absorb significant hunting pressure, but popular entry areas can be crowded during peak firearms seasons.
Over-the-counter license. Antler restrictions apply on Holly Shelter Game Land per NC WRC regulations.
Black bear numbers at Holly Shelter rank among the highest in the NC coastal plain and dedicated bear seasons draw hunters from across the state. Wild turkey populations are healthy in the longleaf matrix.
Holly Shelter Game Land bear hunting is legendary in NC hunting circles; longleaf pine pocosin deer hunting on one of the largest public game lands in the Southeast.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Pender 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 Pender 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 15d ago.