As publishedNov 21, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027
Statewide season.NCWRC species page and secondary sources note bobwhite quail habitat/populations continuing to decline statewide due to loss of early-successional habitat; NCWRC runs a Cooperative Upland Habitat Restoration and Enhancement program targeting this. Bag limit confirmed 2026-08-18 from the published 2026-27 NC Inland Fishing, Hunting & Trapping Regulations Digest (no season limit stated).
Governing source is NCWRC's annual Spring Breeding Bobwhite Quail Call Count (21-stop routes, 1-mile spacing, 3-minute listening periods, documented back to the 1950s-1970s), showing a steep, still-ongoing decline (a 2012 summary cites -4.0%/year statewide, with reliable estimates now confined mostly to the eastern third of the state). A fresh direct-fetch attempt at the species page 404'd, and a fresh search this pass confirmed no summary edition newer than 2012 was found -- the underlying annual survey is described by NCWRC as ongoing, so this is a genuine research gap (matching the Kentucky Quail Report precedent already documented in this registry), not a confirmed program lapse.