§ 113-300.29.  (Effective December 1, 2026) Times for waterfowl hunting.

(a) Unless modified by the Game Commission pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, in all areas of Currituck County lying east and north of the line described in subsection (c) of this section, the starting time for waterfowl hunting each day, and the quitting time for waterfowl hunting each day prior to November 1 and after January 31 of the hunting season, shall be as set by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, or as required by the statewide game law. The quitting time for waterfowl hunting each day from November 1 through January 31 of the hunting season shall be 4:20 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.

(b) Unless modified by the Game Commission pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, in all areas of Currituck County lying west of the line described in subsection (c) of this section, the starting time for waterfowl hunting each day, and the quitting time for waterfowl hunting each day, shall be as set by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, or as required by the statewide game law.

(c) The line of demarcation between the waterfowl hunting regions referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section is as follows: Beginning at a point located on the boundary line between the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia and which point marks the center of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) as established by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and thence following the center of the AICW channel in a southerly direction to the point which marks the intersection with the center of the ferry channel for the Currituck-Knotts Island Ferry; thence running in a southeasterly direction to the northeastern point of Churches Island at a point where the right-of-way of NCSR 1142 (the road from Coinjock to Churches Island) would terminate if extended in a northerly direction to the high water mark of the sound; thence following the center line of NCSR 1142 and the northerly extension thereof in a southerly and westerly direction through Churches Island and continuing to a point where the right-of-way intersects the center of U.S. Highway 158 near the bridge crossing the AICW at Coinjock; thence following the center line of U.S. Highway 158 in a southerly direction to the center of the Currituck Sound and the line marking the boundary between Dare County and Currituck County.

(d) The Game Commission may modify the times for waterfowl hunting set forth in this section after a duly advertised public hearing. In making a determination to modify the times, the Game Commission shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, whether a proposed modification will benefit the waterfowl flyway and habitat within Currituck County and will promote safety and conservation of resources. However, the Game Commission may not modify the times for waterfowl hunting to allow hunting during times when waterfowl hunting is otherwise prohibited by the Wildlife Resources Commission in other areas of the State. If the Game Commission determines that a modification is appropriate, it shall amend its rules to reflect the modification, and that rule shall supersede the provisions of this section.  (2026-57, s. 2(a).)