Looks like we'll be moving from SPT to just north of Burgaw end of this month. We'll be located right in between the two with each being only a few miles away. I belong to a hunt club up near Rockingham but membership doesn't extend to any family and I'm lookin for a place to take Miz Kris for deer and wondering if they're worth foolin with.
I've never hunted public land and have not heard much in the way of positive comments about them.
Figured I'd check here. Mebbe those cats were just tryin to steer peeps away from their playground. Thanks..  d:^)  Jake..

I've hunted it HS GLs twice back in 08-09'ish when I first moved to Brunswick county.  Camped in the campgrounds and did some hunting with my son.  Don't remember what we were hunting but we never bagged anything there (deer/turkey/small game).  More then likely because I didn't know the area well enough.  Hopefully the new range there opens up soon.


CD

Those game lands are ran hard by dog hunters.  In saying that if you put your work in you can kill deer.  There are back entrances to the Holly Shelter game lands that have always produced nice deer but again you have to put your work in.

Thanks for the responses, fellas. I'm gonna have a range at the new house, but it's always good to have other places to go.

I don't have any dogs nor any desire to get any. But my private hunt club is a dog hunting club so I'm used to working around them.
Sometimes it's fun to go tearin azz around the woods and chasing dogs after a slow morning on stand.
I'll be sure to investigate those back doors. Gonna hafta really study the rules for the public land.
Looks like it'd be real easy to screw up and I'd bet it's pretty heavily watched by the local game wardens.
Best I could tell there isn't any predator or varmint night hunting options there outside of some kindof special hunts.
I'll prolly try to catch up with the local wardens when I get there and hopefully get the real skinny on what goes on around there.    d:^)  Jake..

Haven't gone to Holly Shelter since they closed it off to target shooting.

Isn't that s'posed to be open now? Articles seem to suggest that the range(s) were closed temporarily to build a nicer facility.

Their new prediction is mid-October. At this rate, I wouldn't be suprised if it didn't open until after I move.

We went up to the new property to poke around yesterday in Miz Kris's Murano. Ended up going to check out Angola Bay and Holly Shelter. Got some funny looks from the guys out warming up the dogs. First guy we checked with started in on the "ain't no deer here anymore" story. So that's why they're out there in 90* heat with the dogs I reckon, eh? That'll prolly annoy the bow hunters. That was some thick mess out there. Looked like that club I was in for a coupla years down near Shallotte. Are these two gamelands mostly paper company land? Looked like a lot of it was due for harvest if it is. I saw where a thinning operation was rolling.
Anyways, went by the Holly Shelter range site yesterday. Didn't see anything going on. Mebbe they don't work Saturdays. Looks like it'll be a nice facility if they get it up-n-running. I saw a big berm way back against the woods so it might be bigger than the usual 100 yard gigs. That'd be nice. 'Specially so close to the house.  d:^)  Jake..

I hunted it back in the '70s and found it pretty good...of course that doesn't do you a lot of good.  Don't know about Angola, but Holly Shelter is a 3 day a week gamelands.  I did see in the list of permit hunts available in NC that there are permit days for hog hunting in Holly Shelter after deer season closes....haven't looked into it yet, but a good possibility.

That'd be neat if they don't reg ya to the point of paranoia. I'm wonderin if any of that will be for night hunts?
It looked real thick out there but I saw a few places where a fella could get up off the ground a bit and mebbe see something.
The new house is surrounded by huge corn and soybean fields. The 70 acres of woods behind us is almost all hardwoods.
With all that Purina Deer Chow floatin around Ima hafta come up with some kindof "sweet treat" to entice deer into the yard up there. d:^)  Jake..

Anyone have any updates on the range? They're saying mid October, but I can't say I trust their predictions at this point, as they have pushed the date back multiple times.

Ima be up there the next few days.
I'll try to slip by and see what I can find out.    d:^)  Jake..

Cool. Thanks!

Sorry I've been a little lax. Kinda got jacked by deer season and Matthew, but looks like we've gained some asphalt.

Grand opening is on the fourth.

Too bad I only have less than a year to enjoy it.

Miz Kris and I went to the new range today to check it out. I didn't take anything to shoot and we played with her 6.8 and the new Sub-2000. Nice facility. Like any other .gov run affair it's a l'il "rulesy". But considering the target audience and subject matter I reckon it prolly hasta be. The range officer will yell at you if you do something doofus and cut up with ya if ya show yerself to not be a PITA best I can tell. The folks at the front office were very nice and you could tell it's a new operation. But everybody got "processed" thru the l'il 5 minute power point presentation about not shooting your range-mates or pokin yer finger in other peeps barrels and such. Ya also had ta sign a waiver releasing said .gov from all responsibility. I thought they already were irresponsible. Easy enough.
As indicated by another poster it's a bit rigid for my tastes, but I've got other places to shoot. No buckshot, 50's or 338 Lapua's.
Daily price of admission was $5 for shooters and $1 for "observers". Covered range area with partially covered lanes. Those "visors" ya see in the pics up near the benches are topped with what looks like 3/8-1/2" plate steel. And yup, some of'em already had spoor of small arms on'em. Range runs out to 200 yards.
I saw an interesting collection of folks from families with first timers to the wannabe "operators" and a yankee-r-two. The usual assortment. They've got a Farcebook page for basic info.
Anywho, it's a nice place definitely worth checkin out. I couldn't do my type of range trip there  (load development at the bench) but it sure has it's uses, I'm sure.  d:^)  Jake..

PS- And oh yeah, no pictures.