Hunting & Trapping Regulations

July 2025 – June 2026

• Download the 2025–2026 Hunting & Trapping in Virginia Regulations Digest as a PDF
• What’s New for 2025–2026
• Licenses and Fees
• General Hunting Regulations
• Legal Use of Firearms and Archery Tackle
• Local Firearms Ordinances, Laws, and Regulations
• Tag Validation and Harvest Reporting
• Public Hunting Lands
• Sunrise & Sunset Times

Seasons

Big Game

• Bear
• Deer
• Elk
• Turkey
• Spring Turkey

Small Game

• Crow
• Groundhog
• Grouse
• Quail and Pheasants
• Rabbit
• Squirrel

Migratory Gamebirds

• Seasons and Bag Limits
• Waterfowl Blind Laws
• Waterfowl Baiting Regulations
  • Fields Declared A “Crop Failure” Is Not a Normal Agricultural Practice
• HIP (Harvest Information Program)
• Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp
• Federal Duck Stamp

Furbearer Hunting

• Bobcat
• Coyote
• Fox
• Opossum
• Skunk
• Raccoon

Furbearer Trapping

This website contains general information. Specific laws and regulations are found in the Code of Virginia or the DWR Fisheries, Wildlife, and Boating Regulations. For answers to specific questions about hunting and trapping, please contact the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.