Eastern Beaufort County is blessed with an abundance of wildlife. For hunters waterfowl and white-tail deer are the most sought after. Additionally there is a sufficient population of black bear, squirrels, and quail to tempt those who enjoy the adventure of the hunt.

For those who don't hunt, but enjoy observing wildlife in natural surroundings they will see many of these marvelous cretures on a daily basis - and for a short ride to Lake Mattamuskeet during fall and winter they are likely to see them en masse.

The Mattamuskeet Wildlife Refuge was established in 1934 and presently manages just over 50,000 acres. Mattamuskeet Lodge, which is in the National Register of Historic Places, is 9 miles east of Swan Quarter.

The main feature is the 40,000 acre lake, which is North Carolina’s largest natural lake. Here one will find largemouth bass, sunfish (bream), white perch, crappie, alewives (herring) and blue crabs.