On June 3, 2023, the NCWRC will open 36 bodies of Delayed Harvest Trout Waters, including 34 streams and two lakes. The Delayed Harvest season will run June 3 through Sept. 30.
On that first day, it’s all about the kids from 6 a.m. to 11:59, when these waters will only be open to youth under 18-years-old. At noon, it opens to all licensed anglers.
During the Delayed Harvest season, anglers can keep up to seven trout per day with no minimum size limits. They can also use any type of bait and any type of fishing gear. Fly-fishing gear not required!
To find the list of Delayed Harvest Trout Waters, along with regulations and trout maps, visit ncwildlife.org/trout.
According to the SCDNR and the Kershaw County (SC) Coroner’s office, a 15-year-old from Camden was killed as the result of a boat crash on the Wateree River at approximately 10:16 p.m. on Friday, May 5, 2023.
The crash involved two boats. The teenager was in one boat, which was clipped by another boat near the Pine Tree Creek area of the river. The passengers on the two boats were all friends, and they were all fishing during the outing. Both boats were moving when the crash occurred.
No foul play is suspected and officials said it does not appear any horseplay was involved. The coroner’s office and SCDNR have not released the victims name because he was a minor.
Mark O’Neal of Rockingham, NC was found deceased on May 2, 2023 after rescuers located him and his capsized boat on the Pee Dee River below Blewett Falls Dam.
The 61-year-old angler went fishing on April 29. When he did not return home, a search and rescue operation began. Rescuers located his dog alive on May 1, but found O’Neal’s lifeless body the next day. They also found his boat.
When SCDNR received a call recently about two pier anglers keeping undersized fish, as well as an illegal number of fish, Region 4 Officers Thompkins and Williams headed to the pier and began investigating. This led to two alleged poachers being fined for five undersized fish, and for having 67 fish over the legal limit.
Williams counted a total of 41 Spanish mackerel and 18 bluefish from one suspect. Thompkins found another suspect with 23 Spanish mackerel and 21 bluefish.
Both suspected poachers now have pending charges and will be dealt with by the courts.
When cases like this occur, people always ask “what happens to the fish?” It is donated to local food banks and shelters, so it doesn’t go to waste.
Don’t forget, if you see illegal activities in the outdoor world, you can report those violations anonymously to Operation Game Thief in South Carolina by calling 800-922-5431, and in North Carolina by calling 800-662-7137.
Becca Toney of Forest City, NC had a big day in the turkey woods on April 25, 2023. Here’s the story, in her own words:
I’ve always had health issues. I started having seizures in 2018 after a AVM cranial bleed. Ever since, I’ve dealt with on going seizures.
I sat through a thunderstorm on Tuesday for this guy. After the storm lightened up, I heard a gobble up the hill. As quietly as I could, I eased up the hill and sat down by a tree.
I heard him gobble, and I climbed up the mountain just a little further and sat down again. I heard him close by. I took my slate call out and starting calling for him. Next thing I know, I heard loud crunching coming through the woods. That lasted for about two minutes.
I slowly turned around to find four baby fawns. After looking at them, they spooked and ran off. I thought my turkey would’ve ran off too, but he didn’t. I kept calling and he kept coming closer.
As I saw his head poke out through the brush, I turned my safety off. After about a minute, he was out in the open and I took my shot and got him.
My adrenaline was rushing. After picking him up and hauling him about a mile to the nearest house, I got a good friend, Michael Whitaker, to come out and take some photos. I sat down, exhausted and dehydrated, and slipped into a seizure before I knew it.
Michael and my boyfriend David, who drove to me as quick as possible, took great care of me and kept me high in my spirits after my seizure ended by reminding me about the gigantic Tom I killed. 10-inch beard and almost 2-inch spurs. It is a day I’ll never, ever forget.
On April 11, 2023, the NCWRC invoked emergency powers to deal with new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease among the whitetail deer herd in two new counties. According to testing done on hunter-harvested deer from North Carolina’s 2022 hunting season, Cumberland County and Wilkes County are infected with the deadly disease.
As part of the emergency powers, the Commission has named several new counties (or parts of) as Primary or Secondary Surveillance Areas.
In the northwestern section of NC, these new designations will apply in Alleghany, Alexander, Ashe, Guilford, Iredell, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties. They will also apply in several eastern NC counties: Bladen, Cumberland, Barnett, Hoke, Robeson and Sampson.
Davie and Forsyth counties will continue as Secondary Surveillance Areas, carrying over from 2022.
So what exactly does that mean for these counties? Mainly, four areas of interest:
Prohibits fawn rehabilitation
Governs the transportation of deer carcasses and carcass parts
Prohibits placement of minerals and salt licks to congregate wildlife at any time
Prohibits the placement of bait, food, or food products to congregate wildlife outside of hunting season
The public can make comments on these rules through April 28 via the agency’s online Comment Portal or by emailing regulations@ncwildlife.org or by snail mail to:
The NCWRC has released the season dates, bag limits and other regulations for the Old North State’s 2023-24 waterfowl seasons, along with the same information for doves and other webless migratory game birds, and for the extended falconry seasons.
The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, SC has published the 911 calls concerning the case of Tyler Doyle, who went missing on Jan. 26, 2023 during a duck hunting trip out of Little River, SC.
Numerous rumors persisted about the case, but law enforcement officials stated numerous times throughout the search that no foul play was suspected.
Karen Nielsen killed a giant buck in Alamance County, NC during the 2022 deer hunting season. She hauled her mount of the buck to the 2023 Dixie Deer Classic where it officially scored 170 4/8 inches.
Nielsen won the Best in Show Award for the buck, as well as the Female Muzzleloader Award for Nontypical deer. The hunter, from Burlington, NC, killed the buck, a 10-pointer, on Nov. 5 with a 25-yard shot from her Wolf .50-caliber muzzleloader.
Mackenzie Alexander of Lilesville, NC got her first hunting adrenaline rush on Nov. 19, 2022 when she shot this 8-point buck.
“It was a frigid morning at 7:54 a.m. She had already passed up two does when this 8-pointer came out. He flew up in the air when she shot him. He only made it about 10 feet from where he was shot,” said her dad, Justin Alexander.
“It was her first adrenaline rush. She’s ready for more already!” he said.
