However, the Commission did decide to enact several changes to deer hunting rules. 

“Throughout the public hearing process, the Commission received passionate, well-articulated concerns from constituents regarding the cultural and traditional impacts of proposed deer season changes,” reads a press release from the Wildlife Commission. “Commissioners carefully weighed those comments along with biological information.”

In the end, the Commission decided to enact the following deer season changes:

• Implement a statewide bag limit of two antlered and four anterless deer.
• Restrict the Bonus Anterless Deer Harvest Report Card to the Urban Archery Season only.
• Allow Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) participants to retain harvest flexibility.
• Shift either-sex days to the beginning of the Introductory, Conservative and Moderate Gun Either-Sex Seasons.
• Move Polk, Rutherford and Cleveland Counties to the Northwestern Deer Season, and retain the Moderate Gun Either-Sex Season.

The Commission also adopted rules to align bear hunting seasons in the Coastal Bear Management Unit with the five bear hunting zones with one modification: moving Pamlico County into Zone 5 of the coastal unit.

A table of upcoming season dates, approved by the Commission, is online at www.ncwildlife.org/blog/changes-in-regulations-for-2018-2019.