Virginia Hunting

One per license year, at least 100 pounds live weight or 75 pounds dressed weight (all internal organs removed). Females with cubs may not be harvested. Cubs may be 30-50 lbs by fall. Please observe and be patient before shooting as cubs often lag behind the female.

• One half-hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset for nonmigratory birds and game animals except during spring turkey season.
• One half-hour before sunrise until 12 noon during spring turkey season, except the last 20 days when the hunting hours are one halfhour before sunrise until sunset.
• One half-hour before sunrise to sunset for Youth/Apprentice Spring Turkey Hunting Weekend.
• Hours for bear hound training season are from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.
• Bobcats, foxes, raccoons, and opossums may be hunted by day or night during authorized seasons.
• Nuisance species may be taken day or night.

Legal Game is, Deer, Bear, Elk, Fall Turkey, Spring Turkey.

• (Including muzzleloading shotguns) using ammunition loaded with larger than number 2 fine shot

Legal Game is Deer, Fall Turkey, Spring Turkey.

• .35 caliber or LARGER

Legal Game is Fall Turkey, Spring Turkey.

• .35 caliber or SMALLER

Legal Game is Deer, Bear, Elk, Fall Turkey, Spring Turkey.

• 23 caliber or LARGER
• Pistols must generate at least 350 foot pounds of energy or greater

Legal Game is Fall Turkey, Spring Turkey.

• SMALLER than .23 caliber

Legal Game is Deer, Bear, Elk, Fall Turkey, Spring Turkey

Rifles

• 40 caliber or larger
• Pistols – 45 caliber or larger

Legal Game is Fall Turkey, Spring Turkey

Rifles

• Smaller than .40 caliber
• Pistols – smaller than .45 caliber

Legal Game is Deer, Bear, Elk, Fall Turkey, Spring Turkey

• Broadhead widths/expandables that open to 7/8-inch

Includes: Bear, Deer, Elk, Turkey and Bobcat

1. Telephone Harvest Reporting System (866)GOT-GAME or (866)468-4263; touch-tone phone only (Available during all open seasons)
2. Internet Harvest Reporting System www.gooutdoorsvirginia.com; click Internet Harvest Reporting (Available during all open seasons)
3. GoOutdoorsVA Mobile App (eNotch) (Available during all open seasons)

East of the Blue Ridge (except on National Forest lands in Amherst, Bedford, and Nelson counties).

• The bag limit for deer shall be two a day, six a license year. Of the six-deer limit, no more than three may be antlered deer and at least three must be antlerless deer (unless noted in the exceptions below).

EXCEPTIONS:

• The daily bag limit for deer shall be unlimited in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and in all cities and towns east of the Blue Ridge except in the cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. However, no more than three antlered deer may be killed in a license year.

Only one deer per day may be taken on National Forest lands and Department-owned and Department-managed lands east of the Blue Ridge. West of the Blue Ridge and on National Forest lands in Amherst, Bedford, and Nelson counties

• The bag limit for deer shall be two a day and five a license year. Of the five-deer limit, no more than two may be antlered deer and at least three must be antlerless deer (unless noted in the exceptions below).

EXCEPTIONS:

• The daily bag limit for deer shall be unlimited in all cities and towns west of the Blue Ridge. However, no more than two antlered deer may be taken in a license year.

Only one deer per day may be taken on National Forest lands and Department owned and Department-managed lands west of the Blue Ridge.

• If a deer hunter kills two antlered bucks in a license year in Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Highland, or Rockbridge County, at least one of the bucks must have at least four antler points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers.

Only one elk per day may be taken statewide.

Any elk (bull, cow, or calf) can be taken on any day of an open deer season (archery, muzzleloader, or firearms) in the county/locality in which the individual is hunting. Legal weapons for taking elk coincide with legal weapons for deer during that specific season except that elk may not be taken with a slingbow or air rifle. The taking of an elk counts toward a hunter’s daily and seasonal bag limit for deer.

By lottery draw only in designated EMZ counties.

Two per hunting party taken between noon one day and noon the following day.

No Limit

East of the Blue Ridge: Two per hunter taken between noon one day and noon the following day. West of the Blue Ridge: Two per hunting party (individual or organized) taken between noon one day and noon the following day.

15 per day, 45 in possession.

Clapper/King Rails – 15 counted together daily, only one of which may be a king rail.

• Possession limit 45, only 3 of which can be king rails.

Sora/Virginia

• 25 counted together daily, 75 in possession.

5 per day counted together, 45 in possession.

3 per day, 9 in possession.

8 per day, 24 in possession.

Three per day.

Quail: six per day.

Pheasant: no daily or seasonal bag limit.

Six per day.

All squirrels combined–six per day.

No Limit

No Limit

One per day, bearded turkeys only. Hunters may take one, two, or three bearded turkeys depending on how many turkeys were taken in the fall season

6 per day, 18 in possession.

5 birds daily, 15 in possession

6 ducks of any species except for the following restrictions:

• Can include no more than 2 mallards (only 1 hen mallard), 3 wood ducks, 2 black ducks (except closed Oct. 7-10)
• Scaup: 1/day for 40 days (October 7-10, November 16-27, December 17-January 9), and 2/day for 20 days (January 10-29)
• 2 redheads, 2 canvasback, 1 pintail, 1 mottled duck, 1 fulvous whistling duck, 4 total sea ducks (no more than 3 scoters, 3 eiders [only 1 hen], 3 long-tailed ducks).

15 per day, 45 in possession.

• Atlantic Population Zone (AP) Bag Limit 1 goose per day (3 in possession).
• Resident Population Zone (RP) Bag Limit 5 geese per day (15 in possession).
• Southern James Bay Population Zone (SJBP) Bag Limit 3 geese per day for the entire season, (9 in possession)

10 per day, 30 in possession.

Bag Limit 25 per day, no possession limit.

No Limit

2 per day, 6 in possession.

1 per permittee per season.