TAKE ACTION NOW!  A rare opportunity has presented itself during this legislative session for recreational anglers in North Carolina to support a ban on inshore, bottom-disturbing trawlers from our vital marine habitats. North Carolina is the only remaining state where this destructive commercial fishing method is still permitted. The state Senate is expected to vote THIS AFTERNOON (6/18/25) on HB 442, and the House of Representatives just a day or two later, so there is no time to delay ...

The provisions outlined in North Carolina senate bill SB220, Section 4, specifically the new Section 14-280.4, pose significant restrictions on public access to our waterways by making it a criminal offense for individuals to launch motorized or unmotorized watercraft from the right-of-way of a public highway or street, unless they are in designated public boating access areas. This measure effectively limits the ability of the public to access bodies of water that are often adjacent to ...

Last summer, a private property owners association in Western North Carolina filed a contested case against the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to block public recreation on sections of two navigable waterways; the Watauga River and Boone Fork of the Watauga. NCBHA has been tracking the case since the beginning — here’s a recap and the latest update. In September 2024, NCBHA reported that the Twin Rivers Property Owners’ Association had secured a court order prohibiting wade-fishing on two ...

  For five nights in February, North Carolina hunters will have their best shot ever at moving the needle on Sunday hunting on publicly-owned lands in the state. Since 1869, these lands have been closed to hunting, despite the fact that hunters pay in large measure for their acquisition, upkeep, and management. Astonishingly, North Carolina is one of only four states in the entire nation that outright bans hunting on public lands on Sunday. The North Carolina chapter of Backcountry Hunters & ...