Carrying during Bow Season

[Desron23]

New to Bow hunting (1st time this Saturday morning) and I'll be hunting my family land in Stanly County. I have been trying to read up on what laws are for carrying a sidearm here in NC during bow season. It reads like you can have a .22 caliber to aid in the send off of a wounded deer, but frankly I am worried about coyotes and some of the neighbors and would like to have something a little bigger. One of them has actively made access to the property extremely difficult and others have set up deer stands, left trash and ride four wheelers through the property often. Posted signs and Purple paint will be reinstated after my hunt Saturday but the whole time I'd like to have my 10mm or the like with me to be a little more comfortable. It's difficult to find where the law actually lands it seems to contradict itself, along with other online opinions. Anyone got an idea?

Firearms and Concealed Carry on Game Lands and Boating and Fishing Access Areas

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

www.ncwildlife.org

Bow Season & concealed carry

Is it legal to CC a pistol during bow season. I have no interest in skirting a Law or using the pistol during the hunt, just wanted to know if a 9mm on a belt or in my bag as a self defense weapon was ok to carry. Have had a bad experience with trespassers on one farm & would prefer to have...

nchuntandfish.com

 

[Moylan]

I read this the way you do...a 22 rimfire pistol is OK, but no handguns that aren't authorized as a method of take for the relevant season. Maybe the best way to actually obey the law is to carry something in 22 Mag, which appears to me to be allowable. Or you could take a different approach towards what handgun(s) you carry, on the concealed is concealed principle.

 

[Desron23]

I read this the way you do...a 22 rimfire pistol is OK, but no handguns that aren't authorized as a method of take for the relevant season. Maybe the best way to actually obey the law is to carry something in 22 Mag, which appears to me to be allowable. Or you could take a different approach towards what handgun(s) you carry, on the concealed is concealed principle.

That makes a lot of sense to me
Regardless when I’m done hunting and am fixing the signs it will not be a .22

 

[chiefjason]

On gamelands you can now carry anything, anywhere, anytime. See the first paragraph. Me and others here sent a lot of messages and went to meetings a few years back to fix that. No way they can enforce stricter rules on private property. The confusion comes because lots of folks remember the old .22 only rule and think it still applies.

But if you are carrying to dispatch it will need to be a .22.

Carry both if you wish. I just carry a .22 revolver. But I'm not having neighbor issues either.

If you want to be double sure contact NCWRC via email. They respond quick or forward it to someone that can answer your question.

 

[Desron23]

On gamelands you can now carry anything, anywhere, anytime. See the first paragraph. Me and others here sent a lot of messages and went to meetings a few years back to fix that. No way they can enforce stricter rules on private property. The confusion comes because lots of folks remember the old .22 only rule and think it still applies.

But if you are carrying to dispatch it will need to be a .22.

Carry both if you wish. I just carry a .22 revolver. But I'm not having neighbor issues either.

If you want to be double sure contact NCWRC via email. They respond quick or forward it to someone that can answer your question.

Appreciate that!
I may shoot them an email but I dont think I'll expect a solid answer by saturday morning anyways

 

[concepthomes2]

I'm next door in Cabarrus, welcome to the forum.

For post shot dispatch, I'm carrying a M&P Compact .22 in a Kenai chest holster. That should be within the bounds of the law and most folks' interpretation of the law.

For rowdy neighbors, if they're ready to engage someone hunting and is armed for hunting, then your secondary weapon is probably the least of your worries.

 

[Moylan]

On gamelands you can now carry anything, anywhere, anytime. See the first paragraph. Me and others here sent a lot of messages and went to meetings a few years back to fix that. No way they can enforce stricter rules on private property. The confusion comes because lots of folks remember the old .22 only rule and think it still applies.

Thanks! I do remember the old 22 rule, but it looks like you're right about what that new rule says. I was reading it wrong.

"On State-owned game lands, and all other lands unless prohibited by the landowner, persons may lawfully carry any firearm openly that they are otherwise lawfully entitled to possess, and may also carry a concealed handgun if they possess a current and valid concealed handgun permit issued to them. However, persons may not hunt with any firearm being carried unless such firearm is authorized as a lawful method of take for that open season. "
The second sentence is kind of poorly written, because you can "hunt" with a firearm being carried by actually using it as your manner of taking, or you can "hunt" with a firearm being carried by just going out into the woods to hunt (say, with a bow) while carrying a gun for other purposes. But despite the poor writing, it definitely seems to be saying what you're saying it is saying. And thanks for doing the work of going to meetings and such to get that changed for the rest of us slackers.

 

[beamernc]

@Desron23, have the local game warden's phone number with you in case the neighbor starts anything. Harassing a hunter will get them in trouble.

Get the property posted with signs and purple paint, and then the game warden can enforce trespassing laws if they come back.

Also, if they are riding 4 wheelers without permission, remind law enforcement about this NCGS:

 

[Burt Gummer]

I carry a .40 with me when bow hunting on private property, specifically for coyotes on the way in and out of my stand, and have killed coyotes with it going to and from my stand.

 

[Desron23]

@Desron23, have the local game warden's phone number with you in case the neighbor starts anything. Harassing a hunter will get them in trouble.

Get the property posted with signs and purple paint, and then the game warden can enforce trespassing laws if they come back.

Also, if they are riding 4 wheelers without permission, remind law enforcement about this NCGS:
View attachment 537356

I'm going to keep the local game warden's number for sure.
The neighbor I am most concerned with is buddies with the sheriff so I think other local LE might not be that big of a help. I'm hoping the extra posted signs and paint will at least be a reminder.

I carry a .40 with me when bow hunting on private property, specifically for coyotes on the way in and out of my stand, and have killed coyotes with it going to and from my stand.

Just a couple miles up the road from where I'll be tomorrow, my dad and I had one follow us from the stand to the truck.