Gull Rock State Game Land
Introduction
One if the main reasons that I enjoy the amateur radio World Wide Flora & Fauna program so much is that it encourages me to explore sites well off the beaten path. The theme of this program is, Make Nature Your Shack. In other words, take your amateur radio gear to the wild.
The purpose of this blog is to offer a window into some of the most interesting places that Quincey and I have visited, and to provide perspective on why we do this.
North Carolina State Game Lands
Gull Rock State Game Land certainly qualifies as a very interesting place. To be honest, I had never even heard of Gull Rock SGL until I started researching qualifying references (i.e., sites or areas) for the WWFF program.
Since this particular blog highlights one of North Carolina’s game lands, perhaps a little background information would be useful. Most US states set aside game lands for the purpose of wildlife propagation. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) manages over two million acres of public and private land for wildlife associated activities. Interested viewers can view an interactive map of NC State Game Lands . This interactive map provides a wealth of information on each game land, including species, road maps, parking area info, camping areas, and hunting regulations.
Game lands are often visited for the purpose of wildlife observation and photography, birding, and boating, as well as hunting. It is important to understand the rules and regulations for each game land. Those game lands that include a public boat ramp are generally accessible year round by the public.
Although I do not hunt game, I do have a lifetime hunting and fishing license, sponsored by the NCWRC. Whenever I operate my radio from a game land, I make sure I am operating from a safe parking area and that I am not impeding any hunting activity.
Exploring the Gull Rock Outfall Canal Tract Location
The NCWRC map below details our Gull Rock tract of interest, which is known as the Outfall Canal Tract. Note that this large tract is one of five Gull Rock game land tracts, and that the total land mass of all five tracts is 29,720 acres! The Outfall Canal Tract is located about eight miles south of Lake Mattamuskeet and about twelve miles east of Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge.
The map above is a great planning tool. It provides a wealth of information, including external and internal road names, camping areas (only for licensed hunters during hunting season), permanently closed gates, proximity to private land, etc.
Gull Rock Flora & Fauna
The NC Wildlife Resources Commission lists the following game for Gull Rock State Game Land:
- Bear
- Deer
- Dove
- Fox
- Quail
- Rabbit
- Raccoon
- Squirrel
- Turkey
- Warm Water Fishes
- Waterfowl
Camping Options
Gull Rock State Game Land is located quite close to Carawans Cabins-Campground and RV Sites. I stay at Carawans whenever I visit Hyde County and would highly recommend this place to my friends. Carawans offers 50A/30A electrical RV/trailer hookups with water at each site and a bath house that provides a clean restroom and shower. Tent campers are also welcome. Ice is available on site.
I use a 2019 T@B 320S Boondock Teardrop camper. It’s small and lightweight–easy to tow and to set up. It includes a sleeping area, AC unit, bathroom, and mini kitchen with refrigerator. This enables Quincey and me to camp year round, regardless of weather conditions.
Amateur Radio Activation at Gull Rock
For my activation of Gull Rock State Game Land this past June, I decided to operate from the south end of Outfall Canal Road, where it meets the Pamlico Sound. This is a seven mile long, mostly gravel road, passable for cars and trucks during dry weather, but recommended only for vehicles with four wheel drive during rainy periods. The parking area at the end Outfall Canal Rd is quite limited, with room for only two or three vehicles. Due to the limited space, I highly recommend activators consider operating from their vehicle, with the antenna attached to the vehicle. There are no trees near this parking area.
In case of wet weather, I would recommend activating from the Hydeland Road public parking area. This parking area is within the boundaries of the Gull Rock State Game Land. Driving directions are easy, and you will be driving on asphalt all the way to the gravel parking lot. Navigate to Mattamuskeet High School, which borders Hwy 264 and Juniper Bay Road. Turn south onto Juniper Bay Road, and proceed straight for one mile. Turn left onto Hydeland Road, and proceed straight for 0.65 mile, at which point you are at a gravel parking lot where Hydeland Road bends ninety degrees. This gravel lot is open year round for visitors to the Gull Rock State Game Land and for overflow parking for the nearby Hydeland Canal boat ramp, as shown on the map below:
The Hydeland Road lot is a large gravel parking area. The gated road behind my truck leads to a camping area that is available for licensed hunters during hunting season (September through February). The parking area provides sufficient space to operate outside your vehicle if you wish. There are also tall trees alongside the back of the parking lot that could support an EFHW or inverted vee. Beware that biting insects are a fact of life in this area almost year round.
My first Gull Rock activation took place in October, 2023 at the Hydeland Road parking area, shown above. This is a nice site to activate, with plenty of room to set up outside one’s vehicle, if you wish. From March through August, there will not be much hunting taking place in this game land, as this is off season for most game. During my October visit, I was the only vehicle in this lot.
As previously mentioned, for my June, 2024 activation at Gull Rock, I opted to set up at the end of Outfall Canal Road. This is a picturesque location, where the road meets the Pamlico Sound.
I enjoyed the lovely views while driving along Outfall Canal Road. It was fun operating from this location, as I was also able to observe the seagulls, ducks, and boats while I was making contacts. Combining amateur radio and nature in this way makes for a very satisfying experience.
Although band conditions were far from optimal, my log excerpt below provides some sense of what this activation was like:
For my non ham friends, the log above includes callsigns from Germany, France, Italy, Slovak Republic, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, British Columbia (Canada), Texas, New Mexico, and Idaho.
The map below shows how the ninety five contacts were distributed between North America and Europe. These contacts were made using CW (morse code), SSB (voice), and Digital (computer to computer).
The WWFF/POTA references in Hyde and neighboring Terrell counties are rarely activated. I hope additional hams will consider visiting this very interesting part of North Carolina.
The following info provides specific information for amateur radio operators:
WWFF and POTA Reference numbers for Gull Rock SGL:
KFF-4931 US-6908
Maidenhead Grid Location: FM15VK
NC County: Hyde
Road Conditions:
- Outfall Canal Rd (seven miles long) is accessible by cars and trucks during dry weather. I recommend vehicles equipped with four wheel drive during periods of wet weather. This road is open year round. Parking at the Pamlico Sound end of this road is limited to two or three vehicles. Lat 35.3593, Long -76.1096
- The Hydeland Road parking area is accessible by cars and trucks year round. The two roads leading to the large parking area are asphalt. Lat 35.4242, Long -76.2084
Rating for this reference: 10 (excellent)
Nearby Lodging:
Carawans Cabins-Campground and RV Sites
575 New Holland Rd
Swanquarter, NC 27885
(252) 926-5861
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Tnx for QSL. WHAT rig and antennas do you use for your POTA expeditions?
Hi Eric,
My rig is a bit different from most POTA operators; I use a Flex Radio 6300. This is a Software Defined Rig that I place on the back seat of my truck when activating. The 6300 communicates with my Thinkpad Laptop via an ethernet cable. This allows me to control all rig functions (power output level, audio level, frequency, audio bandwidth, mode, etc) from my laptop. This rig/laptop setup allows me to switch between CW, SSB, and Digital modes very quickly.
As for my POTA antennas, 70% of the time I use a truck mounted MFJ 17′ telescoping whip. This allows me to operate in space limited parking lots, or sites where a larger inverted vee would not be appropriate. When space and environment allow the use of my inverted vee, that’s my antenna of choice. The inverted vee almost always generates big pileups on 20 and 40m. You can see pictures of these antennas on my Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge Blog and my Mattamuskeet NWR Blog. You can also see these POTA antennas on my QRZ page.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
73, Paul AA4XX