North Carolina Waterfowl Seasons
How the duck, goose and tundra-swan seasons fall around Lake Mattamuskeet — and when the lake and the impoundments are at their best.
In short
North Carolina waterfowl seasons run in split segments from November into late January, with the best gunning around Mattamuskeet in deep winter once cold fronts push birds south. Tundra swan is permit-only by lottery, so apply months ahead — and confirm every date with the NCWRC before you come.
People ask us all the time when to book for the hunt. The honest answer is that it shifts a little every year, but the general shape holds, so here's how the winter usually goes around Lake Mattamuskeet.
North Carolina sets waterfowl seasons in split segments. There's usually a short opening in November, then the season closes for a stretch, then it reopens — and the bulk of the duck hunting falls in December and January, running until the season ends in late January. Goose seasons run on their own calendar, and the state sets aside special youth and veteran waterfowl days too.
Here's the rough lay of it:
- Duck — split into segments from roughly November through late January, with most of the good hunting in December and January.
- Canada and light geese — their own seasons, on a separate calendar from ducks.
- Youth and veteran days — special waterfowl days the state sets aside outside the regular framework.
- Tundra swan — by permit only, drawn by lottery. You apply months ahead through the NCWRC, long before the season opens, and you can't just show up and hunt one.
As for when the lake is at its best: it's a deep-winter game. Early in the fall the birds are still strung out up north. It's the cold that brings them — when a hard front comes through and locks up the water above us, the ducks and geese pile down the coast and settle onto the shallow water around Mattamuskeet. The week after a big freeze can be the difference between a slow morning and a memorable one. That's why our rooms fill up fastest in December and January.
If you're putting in for swan, mark your calendar early in the year — the application window closes long before the season, and a lot of first-timers miss it by waiting. Once you've sorted out your dates, read up on where to hunt near the inn and the stay logistics in groups and early starts, then call us to lock in a room.
We don't publish exact dates, limits or permit details on purpose — they change every single year, and getting it wrong can cost you. Before you hunt, confirm the current seasons, bag limits, swan-permit deadlines and the youth/veteran days directly with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), and check USFWS rules separately if you'll be hunting the Mattamuskeet refuge.
When your dates are set, call the front desk at (252) 925-2001 or use our booking page — and book early, because in season we're the only beds for miles.
The Ground
Where to Hunt
Mattamuskeet, Gull Rock and the public game lands within easy reach of the inn.
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The Stay
Groups & Early Starts
Early breakfasts, late arrivals, gear, dogs and group rooms — exactly how a hunting stay works here.
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The Hunt
Hunting & Waterfowl Season
Early breakfasts, late check-ins, and room for the dogs and the gear — a basecamp built for duck season.
Read more →The only hotel in Engelhard — and the closest bed to the ferry, the lake and the work. Call the front desk and we'll hold a room for your dates.
(252) 925-2001