Was hunting on the beaver dam on big ledge creek off of Old Weaver Tail Thursday am and my buddy fell in, so we left in a hurry to get him warm. Threw the decoys, dog blind and chairs in sled and covered them in our blind material to retrieve later. Couldn’t get back out to retrieve them till today bc of family in town and when I got there everything was gone except a mojo pole. Also found one of the decoys on the path out that fell out sled when they took it. Wish I would’ve comeback out sooner. Fuck me.

All the hardbody decoys have yellow dots spray painted on the bottom, and the sled is distinct because I’ve dropped in posts for bungee cords. Frankly I’m most upset about the sled and dog blind, because they were presents from my mom. Dog blind is an InvisiLab in bottomland. The unique decoys in it were FoldUp decoy Canada geese and green wing teal — have never seen anyone else using those here.

If anybody sees these for sale in a duck group on Facebook or otherwise, would appreciate someone letting me know. I’m willing to pay for the return of this given the sentimental value. There were some muddy fingerprints on the mojo pole, so I’m going to try and see if police can scan those through CCW database but I’m not very hopeful they’ll help over $500 worth of duck gear.

Either way, lesson learned. Should’ve zipped back out here ASAP after we got buddy dry, but still would appreciate if anyone hears something.

Novice hunter here. I'm hunting white tails in a ground blind in North Carolina. I'm on private land, and there's a feeder about 100 meters/yards away. I'm set up on a game trail that they use to get to/from the feeder. About 4-5 Does came within shooting distance, but they looked tiny and I didn't have a great shot, so I decided to wait and see if a more timid, more mature animal would follow up the rear. I'm not a trophy hunter, I'm in it for the meat, but I prefer to keep the herd healthy by letting the youth live. That said, Does are legal now, and i don't mind taking a doe over a buck.

Anyway, my scent kinda/sorta got winded. They didn't run off in a panic, but they did their snort and casually trotted back the way they came. This happened at 1:35pm EST, so it was also way earlier in the day than I expected to see them.

Given there's still about 3-4 hours of shooting light left, is it worth it to wait and see if they come back, or is my spot blown for the day?

According to several sources (NC Wildlife, OnX, etc.) we were supposed to experience peak rut this week.

I sat a few times this week, but I didn’t see any rut activity. I did harvest a doe a few days ago, and she was clearly in heat from the way she stunk. Today I saw a few smaller bucks just cruising around as if it were a normal day.

Generally, I wouldn’t have considered bringing up this topic. One of the guys that I hunt a piece of private land with in Caswell County spent a considerable amount of his life guiding in Alaska and Wyoming. I have a lot of respect for him as an outdoorsman.

We ran into each other this morning, and he questioned if we were in the rut yet. He made a good point, and it was backed up by my observations. (I saw two bucks today. Neither of them were in a hurry to do anything. Just wanting to get a little corn then slink back into the woods.)

I’m getting mixed messages. I’ve seen some monsters at the deer processor’s place, but I haven’t seen does getting chased on the 100 acres that I hunt.

Hello everyone! I’m from around GSO area and was wondering how do I find friends that go hunting?!? I just got my hunting license and first hunting rifle and would love to get my first deer. Any tips or anything appreciated. And yes I am in facebook groups but don’t want to seem like a loser to ask for buddies

I live in the triangle, and have been duck hunting for 5 seasons now. I've taught myself everything, and so far I've gotten two ducks and a goose. I don't have a boat, so everything has been on foot.

Most of my time has been in Jordan, but I've also hunted duck at Falls a few times, and Caswell once.

If you have any suggestions for public game lands, preferably near the triangle, then I would greatly appreciate it. I just want to remember what a wild duck looks like and confirm for myself they aren't government drones.

The forest lane, 10 mins till last light, 4 deer-blobs pop-out! Good for them, not good for my freezer. I need....I MUST upgrade my scope. I love my current scope (came with gun, only one I've known, I am in hunting year 8) my eyes are not getting any younger! What y'all using? 2hat do you recommend?

My current scope: Nikon 3-9x40 with a bullet drop compensation long range hunting reticle (the one with the dots for 2,3,4,500 yards)

My budget: looks like under 1000?, but I need bang for buck here..or doe... Anyone think I can upgrade for under 500?

My timeline: looking for sales, do I need to wait till January? Probably need a gunsmith to mount it?

My mount: not sure what it's called, but I upgraded my 270 Win with a rail-looking mount on top for stability..it's about 6 inches long.

Turrets: basic not fancy... my goal is zero in, be field ready by understanding and practicing with reticle. Realistic...NC: 100yrs or under in forest, game land, and 300yrd if over a field? OTHER: I want to be proficient at 500 yrds for Colorado Elk, but don't need all the fancy turrets. In hunting reality, once zeroed in at 100yrds, I want to focus on shot placement, not clicks.

Do you all know if I can waterfowl hunt the water in front of my house from a kayak or from the shore? Are there regulations I cannot find any?

So I’m in a y-guides troop (dads and sons) and we’re camping Falls Lake Saturday evening/Sunday morning.

I plan to bring a few rods for the kids (6-7yrs old) and wanted any and all suggestions for what to target and what rigs and bait to use. I’m happy to chum the water to draw something in.

Goal isn’t big fish - it is “any fish” !! Gotta keep the kids interested.

Thanks in advance !!!

Any help would be appreciated!

Anyone ever fish Jordan Lake early in the morning that can recommend a good spot to park my car with close water access? Never been early in the morning and maps is saying that most accesses open at 8am. Thanks in advance.

Anybody have a lead on a source for live farm mallards for retriever training purposes? I am aware of DeWitt's, but they have a 25 bird minimum order. I don't have the space to keep live mallards at my house longer than a day or two, so I'm hoping to find a place where I can pick up 5-6 birds at a time to train for a given weekend.

I know that quail preserves will let me buy birds on-site and train the dog on their land, but haven't had luck finding the same for mallards. I'm only training her to retrieve waterfowl and decoyed doves/crows, so not much utility in the quail option.

I live in the triangle but am willing to drive either direction. Even better if the farm has a pond that I can pay to work the birds over.

does anyone know of any good spots to catch monster blue cats near chapel hill other than Jordan Lake?

On a side note, how does one get a state record fish approved? I’ve found a hole with some near 20lb bowfin and Ive got one that was 15, so i think I could break it soon.

Folks, with the new NCWS website I am a bit lost. I normally apply for a permit dove hunt for the Lower Roanoke River Area game land, (the Conoho Farm Tract) - but when I go to the website I dont see that hunt area on the drop-down list. (See pic) — would anyone have any idea what I’m doing wrong? Or is that gameland not open this season ? Or has it been re-named?

Any info is welcome. Thank you

I may be blind, but I have looked through the regs before posting. A nudge in the right direction would be appreciated.

Does the NC wildlife reg definition of handgun differ from the general state definition? E.g., is an AR-style pistol considered a center fire rifle based on the cartridge or is it still a “pistol” for purposes of elevated stand rules, etc.? My 300BLK AR pistol is now, in compliance with the new rules, rocking a blank buffer tube. I’m thinking about taking it out this year but want to be legal.

What set of rules does it fall under if I were to, say, go hunting deer?

I don’t use live bait often, but I was hoping to get some minnows for a change of pace. Any suggestions? Google isn’t turning up much.

Hey yall, I just moved up to Fairview from south Georgia and was wondering about the regulations for hunting public land in WNC. I've been hunting deer, coyotes, hogs, and birds for a long time but have no experience bear hunting. if yall have any advice on hunting black bear or could help me out with finding public land to hunt this fall, I would greatly appreciate it.

Looking to find a few good friends with like minded interested to be able to get together on a regular basis to hangout outdoors hiking or disc golfing and unwind after either a long day at work or relaxing for the weekend. All are welcomed

I’m going kayaking on the New in a few weeks and have never fished for smallmouths. Does anyone have any tips?

Hey guys,

Looking to finally get back into archry after moving to the Raleigh area. The problem is that to zero the sight I have I need 60 yards. Anyone know of a place or area where I can go to get zero'd. Thank you in advance.

What do you use, what do you like?

Turning over my range bag (now that turkeys done) checked safe for ammo, need to stock up for deer. The setup: 12 gauge 2 3/4", Remington 870, smooth bore, ground, public land. Dec 2022, the only ammo left at Bass pro was. "Federal power Shok, RIFLED slug 1610, 1oz." So I used that with no choke. (No eyes on deer)