Why It Matters: Being a large coastal state, North Carolina offers a broad sampling of hunting, angling, trapping, and shooting sports activities. However, with broad opportunities comes broad responsibilities. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been hard at work in North Carolina this year engaging on a wide variety of sporting conservation issues sure to impact the sportsmen and women of North Carolina.
Highlights:
- House Bill 103 would have provided a statewide hunting, fishing, or trapping license exemption for members of recognized Native American tribes, potentially leading to a significant loss of conservation funding for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC).
- Senate Bill 220, a bill that would strengthen private property protections by requiring that individuals receive permission before accessing public trust waters from land; or before hunting, fishing, or trapping on private land that is not posted in accordance with current law, cleared the North Carolina Senate earlier this year.
- House Bill 442 would prohibit industrial shrimp trawling in any coastal fishing waters other than areas of the Atlantic Ocean located more than one-half mile from the shoreline, among other provisions.
In North Carolina, the first half of 2025 yielded some wins, marked progress on longstanding issues, and also left the sporting-conservation community with work to do in the latter half of 2025 and beyond.
First, as has been a trend in states around the country, legislation was introduced in North Carolina to exempt a large user group from the requirement of purchasing hunting, fishing, or trapping licenses. In this case, the bill pertained to recognized Native American tribes in North Carolina. This measure, if enacted, would have produced an approximate loss of $450,000 in license revenue and nearly $1.4 million in matching federal funds for the NCWRC. CSF submitted written testimony to the House Federal Relations and American Indian Affairs Committee, where the bill did not progress.
Next, an important first step was taken to strengthen private property protections in North Carolina, a state where over 80% of the land falls under private ownership. Many hunters and anglers in the Old North State rely on private property for access. Whether it is through written permission or conducted through a lease agreement, hunters and anglers rely on the generosity of private landowners in many cases. By strengthening private property protections, and in turn, combating trespassing, both sportsmen and private landowners will benefit. Senate Bill 220 passed the Senate on a 40-2 vote in April, where CSF provided testimony, and now awaits further legislative action from the House of Representatives.
Finally, North Carolina took a critical step to usher in much-needed fisheries reform just last month. House Bill 442 would have aligned North Carolina with every other Southeastern state in banning commercial shrimp trawling in its sounds and estuaries. It is well-understood that large scale industrial shrimp trawling in inland waters negatively impacts critical habitat that many fish species depend on, while also resulting in significant by-catch of juvenile fish species, many of which are species pursued by recreational anglers. Therefore, CSF again provided written testimony and issued an action alert in support of the legislation. House Bill 442 has been sent back to the House of Representatives where it currently awaits a concurrence vote on changes made by the Senate.
CSF also engaged on House Bill 382, which would establish an inaugural elk season in North Carolina. Additionally, CSF submitted comments to the Division of Marine Fisheries supporting a 50/50 allocation shift for southern flounder between commercial and recreational harvest.
While CSF is glad to report major progress being made, we will continue to work with the North Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, the NCWRC, and our partners to advance priorities for North Carolina’s sportsmen and women.
