Princess Anne WMA

Located on Back Bay in extreme Southeastern Virginia, Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area serves as one of the Department’s major waterfowl hunting areas.

Four tracts, totaling 1,546 acres, make up the Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area. Located on the western shore of Back Bay, a slightly brackish body separated from the Atlantic Ocean by False Cape. The Trojan and Pocahontas Tracts are accessible by boat. The Trojan tract is comprised of marshes along the western shore of Back Bay. The Pocahontas Tract, a group of marshy islands, is at the south end of the bay. The Beasley and Whitehurst Tracts are a combination of marshes, man-made wetland impoundments and upland forest. Impoundment water levels are manipulated to promote vegetation for wintering and migrating waterfowl and shorebirds.

A valid Virginia hunting license, fishing license, boat registration, access permit, or current “Restore the Wild” membership is required to use this area.

Special Rules

• No camping
• No horseback riding
• No trapping without written permission

WMA Hours

Beasley and Whitehurst Tracts

November – March

• Closed Monday–Saturday for wildlife management and approved hunting
• Open Sundays sunrise to sunset

April – October

• Open sunrise to sunset

Trojan and Pocahontas Tracts

• Open year round
• Boat ramp is open year round

Hunting

Sunday Hunting Opportunities on Public Lands in Virginia »

Princess Anne WMA is only open to deer and waterfowl hunting, all other hunting is prohibited. On the Whitehurst and Beasley tracts scouting is allowed seven days a week from April–October and from November–March scouting is allowed only on Sundays. To minimize disturbance to waterfowl, trapping is not permitted on Princess Anne WMA without written permission. No hunting is allowed beyond what is listed below.

Waterfowl Hunting

There is no hunting allowed on the Trojan or Pocahontas tracts except for the float blind stake hunts listed below.

Float Blind Stakes

The float blind stakes located on Back Bay and the North Landing River are open first come, first serve for the beginning of September goose season. Once September teal begins the hunts are managed through the quota system. Quota #112 covers September teal and the first split of general waterfowl season. Quota #107 covers the final two splits of the general waterfowl season. The stakes are open to hunting Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for the above hunts. The float blind stakes are open for the youth/apprentice/veteran hunt in October and February on a first come, first serve basis. The stakes are also open for the light goose conservation season on a first come, first serve basis Monday–Saturday. The map and GPS coordinates for the float blind stakes can be found on this page.

Impoundments

The impoundments are located on the Beasley and Whitehurst Tracts. They are open to first come, first serve hunting on Saturdays only during the September goose and teal season. The impoundments are managed through the quota hunt system for the general waterfowl season (quota #102) on Saturdays only. The area is closed to hunting during the remainder of the week. The area is open Saturday for the youth/apprentice/veteran hunt in October and February on a first come, first serve basis. Hunters are reminded that deer hunters will also be on the area for the October youth/apprentice/veteran hunt date. For the light goose conservation season the impoundments are open first come, first serve on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and state holidays. The impoundment map can be found on this page.

Deer Hunting

Deer hunting is allowed on the Beasley and Whitehurst tracts. Hunters may only use Archery tackle and are not allowed to hunt in the impoundments. Deer hunting is open from the start of the Virginia Beach firearm season through October 31. If the Virginia Beach firearm season opens before the early archery season, then only bucks may be taken until the early archery season starts. The area is closed for deer hunting Wednesday-Saturday of the week leading up to the October waterfowl split. Deer hunting the first two weeks of November are managed through the quota system (Quota 205). Hunters are required to wear blaze orange or blaze pink. The area is not open for the September Youth, apprentice, or veteran hunt. The deer hunting map can be found on this page.

Fishing

Back Bay has experienced a significant recovery in the last ten years. There is bank fishing on the Trojan tract as well as a boat ramp for access to Back Bay. The boat ramp is open year round. Bank fishing can primarily yield catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, and sunfish but other fish may be caught as well.

In addition to fishing at the Trojan Tract, the waterfowl impoundments on the Beasley and Whitehurst tracts hold enough water year round to provide fishing opportunities. The impoundments hold water in the ditches year round and sunfish, bass, bowfin, and carp can be found in these areas.

• USGS weather/water gauge located on Beggars Creek »

Other Activities

Wildlife Viewing

Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area is home to a wide variety of habitat from managed wetland impoundment to pine stands, native marsh grasses to cypress stands. There is a healthy population of resident deer, raccoons, otter, and other small mammal species. The area serves as a resting point for a wide variety of migratory songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl. The impoundments at the Whitehurst and Beasley Tracts are especially productive with at least 199 bird species documented. See what wildlife viewers are seeing at the WMA:

• Whitehurst eBird Checklist
• Beasley eBird Checklist
• Trojan/HQ eBird Checklist

Directions

Boat Ramp on Trojan Tract

1300 Back Bay Landing Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23457

Beasley Tract Parking

1475 Munden Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23457

Whitehurst Tract Parking

1399 Munden Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23457

These are the closest street addresses for these locations. Each area is marked with a WMA portal sign.

Images by: Meghan Marchetti/DWR