Virginia hunting maps: public land and season dates
Virginia’s general hunting seasons for 2026, when the deer rut peaks, and where public land is, in one place. Virginia has no deer zones; the WikiHunt map shows its wildlife management areas.
Seasons updated Sep 2, 2026 · sources
Virginia hunting season dates, 2026
Statewide general seasons from WikiHunt’s season table (updated Sep 2, 2026). Units, zones and draw hunts can differ, so confirm in the Virginia regulations.
| Species | Season | 2026 dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery DeerArchery | Oct 3 – Nov 13 | Early (fall) archery deer statewide. OTC. |
| Deer | Muzzleloader DeerMuzzleloader | Oct 31 – Nov 13 | Early muzzleloader deer, both E and W of Blue Ridge. Separate LATE muzzleloader Dec 12-Jan 2. OTC. |
| Deer | General Firearms DeerRifle | Nov 14 – Jan 2 | Most-common/eastern (E of Blue Ridge) full season Nov 14-Jan 2. W of Blue Ridge many counties Nov 14-Dec 12; SE cities Oct 1-Nov 30. OTC. |
| Black bear | BearAny legal weapon | Nov 23 – Jan 2 | General firearms bear, largest western/central county group Nov 23-Jan 2. Other groups differ; CLOSED in Accomack & Northampton. Bear archery Oct 3-Nov 13. Bear HTML page still showed 2025-26; used official PDF. OTC. |
| Turkey | Fall TurkeyAny legal weapon | Oct 17 – Jan 23 | SPLIT SEASON — outer envelope of the largest county group (Oct 17-30, Nov 25-26, Nov 30-Dec 26, Jan 9-23); NOT continuous. Blue Ridge group much shorter; CLOSED in Arlington + 4 cities. Continuous fall ARCHERY alternative is Oct 3-Nov 13. OTC. Envelope overstates open days. |
When is the rut in Virginia?
White-tailed deer
Statewide Agency
≈ Nov 16
Back-calculated from peak fawning; DWR also describes breeding as concentrated in the last two weeks of November. No regional split.
Source: VA DWR (2025)
Questions
When is deer season in Virginia in 2026?
Archery Deer: Oct 3 – Nov 13; Muzzleloader Deer: Oct 31 – Nov 13; General Firearms Deer: Nov 14 – Jan 2. Unit and zone dates can differ; check the regulations.
Does WikiHunt have property lines for Virginia?
Yes. Parcel boundaries for Virginia are part of the Single State ($19.99 a year) and All States ($39.99 a year) plans in the app and on the web map.
Sources
- Season dates: WikiHunt’s season table, updated Sep 2, 2026; regulations: dwr.virginia.gov/hunting/regulations.
- Rut dates: each row links to its source (state agency, study or press).