General Hunting Regulations

• To qualify for any hunt at Howell Woods, hunters must possess a valid NC resident or non-resident hunting license and any other required stamp or tag and be 10 years or older. Hunters between the ages of 10 and 15 must hunt with an adult relative (21 years or older) in the same stand/blind.
• All hunters must sign in and out upon arrival or leaving the property at the designated location and have all harvested game inspected by a Howell Woods staff member or designated volunteer.
• All harvested game must be inspected by a Howell Woods staff member or designated volunteer before processing. Field dressing or disposing of entrails or any other body parts of harvested game on the property is not allowed.
• All processing of game and disposal of waste must be conducted at the designated area.
• All hunters and their equipment/vehicles and harvested game are subject to inspection by Howell Woods staff or designated volunteer, or state and/or federal officials at anytime while on the property.
• Four wheel drive vehicles and All Terrain Vehicles (ATV's) are allowed but must stay on marked roads or trails and proceed at a safe speed. Safety helmets must be worn at all times when operating an open ATV.
  • All vehicle types are allowed on roads marked with green road signs.
  • Only ATV's are allowed on road/trails marked with brown road signs.
  • Other areas may be off limits to ATV traffic due to management or maintenance issues and will be posted or advised by a Howell Woods staff member or volunteer prior to the hunt.
• All hunters must take the mandatory Howell Woods Hunter Orientation and Safety Open Book test and pass with a minimum score of 90% with all safety questions answered correctly (marked with an asterisk).  Hunters who fail to correctly answer the required number of questions will be given the opportunity to take the test again, answering only the missed questions. 
• Only after passing the test will hunters be allowed to hunt on the property. Each species, except deer and feral pigs, have separate tests. Each test has to be taken only once every calendar year. Unless otherwise stated in the Specific Regulations, all firearms/bows used and their appropriate season for use must meet the requirements as set forth in the North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest for the current year.
• Scheduled hunts will be held regardless of the weather with the exception of severe flooding or wind damage on the property or the closing of the main campus of Johnston Community College for inclement weather conditions. Refunds or rescheduled hunts will not be considered for inclement or poor weather conditions for hunting, acts by other hunters (Howell Woods permitted hunters or trespassers) or other natural or human related conditions that are out of the control of the Howell Woods staff. If the Howell Woods staff cancels a hunt for any of the above reasons, a complete refund will be given for the cost of the hunt fee only (not lottery fee or monies paid for other services related to hunting). Dates for Management Partners hunts may be rescheduled according to the availability of Howell Woods.