Virginia hunting

Virginia uses an over-the-counter (OTC) license system for deer, turkey, and bear — no statewide draw is required for these species. Hunters purchase a base hunting license plus a species-specific add-on: a Deer/Turkey License ($23 resident / $86 nonresident) and a Bear License ($21 resident / $151 nonresident) are required in addition to the general hunting license. Bonus Deer Permits ($18–$31) provide six additional antlerless tags. All deer, bear, elk, and turkey harvests require electronic or physical tag validation before moving the animal, using the GoOutdoorsVirginia app or physical tag. Elk are the sole draw species: a lottery (5 antlered tags available for 2026) requires a $15 resident / $20 nonresident application fee; lottery winners purchase a special elk license ($40 resident / $400 nonresident). Landowners and immediate family may hunt their own property without a license. Residents age 65+ need no license for private-land hunting within their county of residence. A new 3-day trip license ($60 nonresident) was added for 2025–2026. There is no Texas-style MLDP equivalent, but Virginia does have DMAP (Deer Management Assistance Program) and DPOP (Deer Population Objective Program) that provide bonus antlerless tags on enrolled private and public lands to assist with localized deer management.

Virginia has 56 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) managed by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), with notable large units including Little North Mountain WMA (17,152 acres, Augusta/Rockbridge counties), Goshen WMA (16,157 acres, Rockbridge County), Highland WMA (14,283 acres, Highland County), and Gathright WMA (13,428 acres, Bath County). The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests span large portions of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains and are open to hunting. Fourteen state forests also permit hunting, including Appomattox-Buckingham, Cumberland, Big Woods (Sussex County), and Prince Edward Gallion. Nine National Wildlife Refuges allow hunting: Back Bay, Chincoteague, Great Dismal Swamp, Eastern Shore, Rappahannock River Valley, James River, Plum Tree Island, Presquile, and Mason Neck/Occoquan NWRs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers areas — John H. Kerr Reservoir (40,000 acres), John W. Flannagan Reservoir (6,400 acres), and Philpott Lake — offer additional acreage. The PALS (Public Access Lands for Sportsmen) program provides permitted access to certain private lands (e.g., Coalfields Area, ~30,000 acres in southwest Virginia) for a modest $18 fee. Several military installations including Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Pickett, Fort Belvoir, Quantico, and Langley-Eustis offer hunting by permit. State parks also conduct reservation/quota hunts. No BLM land exists in Virginia. DWR's "Explore the Wild" online mapping tool helps hunters locate public lands by county.

The large majority of Virginia's land base is privately owned — farmland, timber tracts, and rural estates dominate the Piedmont and coastal plain. Hunting lease culture is well established and active, particularly in the Piedmont and Tidewater regions where agricultural land supports trophy whitetails. Lease rates vary by region and quality. Hunting on posted private land without written permission is a criminal offense carrying fines up to $2,500 and/or 12 months in jail; hunting on unposted private land without permission carries fines up to $500. Landowners may post property with traditional signs or purple paint marks. Guided outfitter operations and private clubs are common, especially for deer and waterfowl in eastern Virginia. The DMAP and DPOP programs incentivize private landowners to participate in cooperative deer management, with enrolled properties receiving bonus antlerless tags.

Archery deer season runs approximately October 4 – November 14 (early) and December 14 – January 3 (late, west of Blue Ridge and select eastern counties), with an urban archery season extending September 6 – March 29. Muzzleloader seasons run approximately November 1–14 (early) and December 13 – January 3 (late). General firearms deer season runs approximately November 15 – January 3 in most counties, with early and late antlerless-only firearms seasons in select counties (e.g., September 6 – October 3 and January 4 – March 29 in Greene, Hanover, Henrico, and James City counties). Turkey has both a spring gobbler season (typically April–May) and a fall season in many counties. Black bear seasons run in October–January depending on weapon and location, with expanded either-sex firearms days in select counties for 2025–2026. The elk lottery hunt is held in October (2025 hunt: October 11–17). Feral hogs may be taken year-round as a nuisance species.

Virginia does not use a numbered unit or zone map system for deer. The state's primary management structure is county-based: each county, city, or town is treated as its own deer management unit for purposes of Earn-a-Buck (EAB) requirements, either-sex hunting days, and season structures. A secondary east/west split at the Blue Ridge Mountains applies to bag limits (6 deer/license year east; 5 deer/license year west) and certain season dates. Elk management is geographically constrained to the Elk Management Zone (Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise counties in far southwestern Virginia). Bear and turkey are managed statewide with some county-level variations. There is no published numbered DMU map; hunters must consult the county-by-county tables in the DWR regulations digest.