Also, in the Mountain Region, South Mountains Game Land is a great place for turkey hunting. The game land covers 19,781 acres in Burke, Cleveland, McDowell and Rutherford counties. This game land has some high-relief terrain and has some good vehicle and foot access. There is a CURE upland restoration area on the site, which benefits turkeys as well. Gated roads with parking lots at trailheads provide access. There are two primitive campsites for hunters who want to camp overnight for several days' hunting at the six-day-per-week game land.

In the Piedmont, the 17,198-acre Caswell Game Land is one of the state's traditional public areas for hunting turkeys. Located along the magical northern tier of counties along the Virginia border, the game land has produced plenty of turkeys since restoration began. The terrain is rolling and not difficult to get around in. It has a good mix of food plots and timberland with excellent vehicle and foot trails throughout. There is a CURE upland research area on the game land. This is aimed at quail primarily, but turkeys also benefit from the opening of the forest canopy and prescribed burning conducted on the CURE site.

The game lands of the southeastern part of the state are increasingly adding to harvest statistics. In Duplin and Pender counties, the Holly Shelter-Angola Bay game lands complex produces around a dozen turkeys each spring. Angola Bay is open six days per week with no permit required. Holly Shelter has nearly 65,000 acres and Angola Bay has approximately 25,000 acres of primarily swamp and pocosin habitat. Prescribed burning has helped turkeys along in these otherwise marginal habitats. Holly Shelter is open three days per week with permits only required for the youth hunt date.

Green Swamp Game Land contains 15,420 acres in Brunswick County and has some turkeys in the pocosin and wiregrass ridge habitat. Growing season burns have helped open up the forest to produce some turkeys.

Columbus County Game Land consists of several widely spaced tracts along streams and river bottoms. There are many turkeys in the swamps. But the trouble with hunting them is that swamps are inundated by water during wet springs. Under wet conditions, there isn't much high ground. But when conditions are dry, turkeys can be hunted effectively.

In the northern Coastal Plain, Chowan Swamp Game Land in Bertie, Gates and Hertford counties offers some good turkey hunting, along with some good access. The large game land has a variety of riparian habitats with access by roads and by boat from the Chowan River. The game land covers 27,516 acres of river swamp and pocosin, but also has plenty of high ground with good vehicular access. Prescribed burning helps to keep the understory open for good turkey-hunting opportunities. Flood conditions can inundate the swamps and cut down the hunting area. But this can be good in floodplain habitat because the turkeys may roost over the water, but they must fly down to dry ground to go about their daily routine.

In the central Coastal Plain, the newer tracts of White Oak River Game Land offers good turkey hunting. Located in Onslow County, the game land has a total of 2,303 acres, including the waterfowl impoundment area. Hunters can access the Huggins Tract and the other major upland tract from the White Oak River or by vehicle travel from the Bellgrade-Swansboro Road. There is good access by foot and vehicle throughout. The bottomlands along the river provide excellent roosting habitat and typical swamp hunting situations.