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Virginia deer and bear hunting: counties, seasons and wildlife management areas

Virginia sets deer seasons and either-sex days county by county. DWR's county table counts 226,329 deer killed in the 2025-26 season and 2,344 bears in 2025. In 2026-27 the firearms deer season on private land opens November 14 in most counties. This page links 97 county and city pages and 51 wildlife management areas.

Data updated October 2026. Seasons: DWR's 2026-27 deer and bear regulations, read 2026-10-18. Harvest: DWR Deer Kill Data; DWR Black Bear Harvest by County.

Map of Virginia's counties with the Wildlife Management Areas shaded
Orange: Earn a Buck counties in 2026-27. Green: Wildlife Management Areas.

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When are Virginia's 2026-27 deer seasons?

SeasonWhereDates, 2026-27
Deer, early archery (either sex)StatewideOctober 3 to November 13
Deer, early muzzleloaderStatewide except Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and eastern SuffolkOctober 31 to November 13
Deer, firearms, private landsMost counties west of the Blue RidgeNovember 14 to December 12
Deer, firearms, private landsMost counties east of the Blue RidgeNovember 14 to January 2
Deer, firearms, private landsChesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp lineOctober 1 to November 30
Deer, firearms, national forestGeorge Washington and Jefferson National Forest (most counties)November 14 to November 28
Deer, urban archery (antlerless only)Participating cities and townsSeptember 5 to October 2, and January 3 to March 28, 2027

Source: DWR Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons. Each county's page lists its own firearms season and either-sex days.

Virginia's counties

The most deer in 2025-26 came from Bedford County (8,626), Augusta County (6,207) and Pittsylvania County (5,649). The most bears in 2025: Charlotte County (107), Lunenburg County (86) and Buchanan County (81).

County or cityPublic landDeer, 2025Antlered, 2025Bears, 2025Firearms season, private land
Accomack County6.4%3,1921,140November 14 to January 2
Albemarle County3.5%4,7392,05413November 14 to January 2
Alleghany County49.9%1,25397139November 14 to December 12
Amelia County1.1%2,9951,34629November 14 to January 2
Amherst County19.4%3,9211,91717November 14 to January 2
Appomattox County6.1%1,55891565November 14 to January 2
Augusta County35.8%6,2072,96425November 14 to December 12
Bath County56%1,5451,07060November 14 to December 12
Bedford County6%8,6263,79313November 14 to January 2
Bland County33.5%1,51993135November 14 to December 12
Botetourt County25.9%3,6091,75732November 14 to December 12
Brunswick County1.8%2,6481,29144November 14 to January 2
Buchanan County0%1,4121,07081November 14 to December 12
Buckingham County4%2,5941,50369November 14 to January 2
Campbell County0.1%3,6881,69642November 14 to January 2
Caroline County1.6%2,8511,2593November 14 to January 2
Carroll County4.6%3,4291,66126November 14 to January 2
Charles City County4.6%1,2355031November 14 to January 2
Charlotte County1.7%2,1451,193107November 14 to January 2
City of Chesapeake25.8%47025815October 1 to November 30
Chesterfield County3.4%1,7718082November 14 to January 2
Clarke County3.2%1,4346462November 14 to January 2
Craig County55.3%1,72691070November 14 to December 12
Culpeper County0.1%2,9821,2704November 14 to January 2
Cumberland County8.7%2,7021,16933November 14 to January 2
Dickenson County9.2%1,31791442November 14 to December 12
Dinwiddie County4.5%2,5941,19024November 14 to January 2
Essex County0.6%1,3865241November 14 to January 2
Fairfax County2.7%1,235487November 14 to January 2
Fauquier County2.9%4,4641,9634November 14 to January 2
Floyd County2.4%2,9671,32615November 14 to January 2
Fluvanna County0.7%2,05292824November 14 to January 2
Franklin County1.2%4,6522,20051November 14 to January 2
Frederick County2.1%2,3711,1053November 14 to January 2
Giles County29.9%2,4121,14763November 14 to December 12
Gloucester County1.2%1,0453890November 14 to January 2
Goochland County0.3%1,7479063November 14 to January 2
Grayson County14.2%3,6051,70724November 14 to December 12
Greene County17.5%1,1095369November 14 to January 2
Greensville County0.2%2,2977718November 14 to January 2
Halifax County2.1%5,0582,17777November 14 to January 2
Hanover County0.6%2,6151,0257November 14 to January 2
Henrico County1.5%649304November 14 to January 2
Henry County1.9%1,5901,09220November 14 to December 12
Highland County27.9%1,47196145November 14 to December 12
Isle of Wight County1.7%2,2068699November 14 to January 2
James City County5%637274November 14 to January 2
King George County3.9%7543751November 14 to January 2
King William County1.6%1,694688November 14 to January 2
King and Queen County4.7%2,0827790November 14 to January 2
Lancaster County0.9%1,115428November 14 to January 2
Lee County7.7%1,42498522November 14 to December 12
Loudoun County0.6%4,0791,6111November 14 to January 2
Louisa County0.1%3,3601,53819November 14 to January 2
Lunenburg County0%1,87494286November 14 to January 2
Madison County19.9%2,02485311November 14 to January 2
Mathews County0%471175November 14 to January 2
Mecklenburg County1%2,6651,32875November 14 to January 2
Middlesex County0%674267November 14 to January 2
Montgomery County8.7%2,7651,32329November 14 to January 2
Nelson County9.7%2,4861,47642November 14 to January 2
New Kent County3%1,0555040November 14 to January 2
Northampton County4%1,256546November 14 to January 2
Northumberland County0.4%1,318469November 14 to January 2
Nottoway County10.8%2,3571,02638November 14 to January 2
Orange County0.5%2,5311,0184November 14 to January 2
Page County33.3%1,7629147November 14 to January 2
Patrick County4.1%1,5451,07336November 14 to December 12
Pittsylvania County1.1%5,6492,96079November 14 to January 2
Powhatan County4.1%2,0691,03111November 14 to January 2
Prince Edward County5.6%1,9221,03361November 14 to January 2
Prince George County3%2,0587711November 14 to January 2
Prince William County9.1%1,0264963November 14 to January 2
Pulaski County9.6%2,3241,11526November 14 to January 2
Rappahannock County18.3%1,8187275November 14 to January 2
Richmond County4.2%1,302432November 14 to January 2
Roanoke County12.3%1,63178937November 14 to January 2
Rockbridge County25.4%3,6391,88833November 14 to December 12
Rockingham County32.9%4,5742,47622November 14 to December 12 (west of Routes 613 and 731); November 14 to January 2 (east of Routes 613 and 731)
Russell County2.8%2,1741,36643November 14 to December 12
Scott County10.2%2,8411,80429November 14 to December 12
Shenandoah County23.4%3,0731,44114November 14 to January 2
Smyth County31.2%1,9491,12353November 14 to December 12
Southampton County0.7%5,1291,82718November 14 to January 2
Spotsylvania County5.2%1,9398437November 14 to January 2
Stafford County2.5%1,0184772November 14 to January 2
City of Suffolk14.2%1,73874135November 14 to January 2 (west of the Dismal Swamp line); October 1 to November 30 (east of the Dismal Swamp line)
Surry County2.2%2,29592613November 14 to January 2
Sussex County2%3,5771,35720November 14 to January 2
Tazewell County4.3%2,4721,56152November 14 to December 12
City of Virginia Beach7.6%168820October 1 to November 30
Warren County16.5%1,3756694November 14 to January 2
Washington County10.4%2,8881,76944November 14 to December 12
Westmoreland County1.7%1,479553November 14 to January 2
Wise County14.3%1,46397669November 14 to December 12
Wythe County22.2%3,2021,45736November 14 to January 2
York County3.5%516265November 14 to January 2

Harvest: DWR Deer Kill Data; DWR Black Bear Harvest by County. Public land measured by FilledTag from USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1). Seasons: DWR Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons.

How much of Virginia is public hunting ground?

9.8% of Virginia's land is public by PAD-US 4.1: national forest 1,673,682 acres, National Park Service 309,577 acres, DWR land (WMAs) 220,727 acres, national wildlife refuge 128,982 acres, state parks and natural areas (DCR) 124,557 acres, other state land 82,568 acres, state forest 75,086 acres and Army Corps of Engineers 10,888 acres.

Wildlife Management Areas with their own page

Questions hunters ask

When does deer season open in Virginia in 2026?

Early archery opens October 3, 2026 statewide and early muzzleloader October 31. The firearms season on private land opens November 14 in most counties, and October 1 in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and eastern Suffolk; it runs to December 12 in many western counties and to January 2, 2027 in most eastern ones (DWR 2026-27 regulations).

How many deer were killed in Virginia in 2025?

DWR's 2025-26 summary reports 227,302 deer, including the early September antlerless seasons: 108,163 antlered bucks, 14,631 button bucks, 973 shed bucks and 103,535 does (DWR, April 2026). Adding up DWR's county table for 2025 gives 226,329.

How many bears were killed in Virginia in 2025?

DWR's county table shows 2,344 bears in 2025, against 2,702 in 2024 and 2,892 in 2023.

What is Earn a Buck in Virginia?

In an Earn a Buck county a hunter must take an antlerless deer before taking a second antlered deer there. DWR marks 38 counties for 2026-27; each county keeps its own count.

Where can you hunt public land in Virginia?

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forest and DWR's wildlife management areas are the largest blocks: PAD-US 4.1 counts 1,673,682 acres of national forest and 220,727 acres of DWR land in the state.

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Where these numbers come from

FilledTag is not part of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. DWR's hunting pages are the final word on every rule.

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