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2026-2027

Virginia Deer Hunting Seasons 2026-2027

Virginia has a county/city/public-land matrix with archery, muzzleloader, firearms, urban archery and special antlerless splits.

Last checked: 2026-08-10 Source: Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources 18 season records
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Matching season windows

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Method Dates Where Action
Youth and apprentice deer hunting weekend Youth
Statewide under DWR eligibility and locality rules Deer
Late archery — western Blue Ridge framework group Archery
Henry and Patrick counties and all areas west of the Blue Ridge except listed exceptions Deer
Late archery — selected western counties and public lands Archery
Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Highland, Lee, selected Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Wise and listed public lands Deer
Late archery — Chesapeake, Suffolk east and Virginia Beach Archery
City of Chesapeake; City of Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line; City of Virginia Beach Deer
Urban archery antlerless — early segment Archery
Participating Virginia cities, towns and counties Antlerless Deer
Urban archery antlerless — late segment Archery
Participating Virginia cities, towns and counties Antlerless Deer
Northern Virginia late archery antlerless season Archery
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties plus listed cities Antlerless Deer
Early muzzleloader season Muzzleloader
Statewide except Chesapeake, Suffolk east and Virginia Beach Deer
Late muzzleloader — east of Blue Ridge group Muzzleloader
DWR-listed counties east of the Blue Ridge and listed public lands Deer
Late muzzleloader — west of Blue Ridge group Muzzleloader
DWR-listed western counties and cities Deer
Firearms on private lands — mountain county groups Firearm
Buchanan, Dickenson, Wise, Alleghany, Bath, Highland, Lee, selected Rockingham, Henry, Patrick, Bland, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Augusta, Botetourt, Craig, Giles, Grayson, Rockbridge, Smyth and Washington groups Deer
Firearms on private lands — central/eastern long season Firearm
DWR-listed central and eastern counties plus incorporated cities/towns Deer
Firearms — Chesapeake, Suffolk east and Virginia Beach Firearm
City of Chesapeake; City of Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line; City of Virginia Beach Deer
Early antlerless firearms — black diamond localities Firearm
DWR black-diamond private-land county/city list Antlerless Deer
Late antlerless firearms — black diamond localities Firearm
DWR black-diamond private-land county/city list Antlerless Deer
Early antlerless firearms — Bedford County yellow diamond Firearm
Bedford County private lands Antlerless Deer
Late antlerless firearms — Bedford County yellow diamond Firearm
Bedford County private lands Antlerless Deer

Season data compiled and verified against official state sources. Regulations can change. Confirm current rules before hunting.

? Field Honest summarizes official hunting regulations for convenience. Official agency regulations remain controlling.
Season map

Virginia deer map

Click a county or zone to see what seasons match that place.

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Select a mapped area for details. Map layers simplify official geography for web use.

Source detail Open official-source records Detailed notes, harvest classes, eligibility flags, and agency links.
Underlying records

Official-source season details

The quick finder above is the main view. These records keep the supporting geography, harvest notes, and source links together.

Archery

Bow, crossbow, or archery-only windows where listed. 7 seasons
Season Dates Geography Notes
Early archery season Deer General hunters
Statewide statewide

Local firearm/urban rules may add separate opportunities.

Official source
Late archery — western Blue Ridge framework group Deer General hunters
Henry and Patrick counties and all areas west of the Blue Ridge except listed exceptions county_region_group

See DWR county exception list for exact included/excluded localities.

Official source
Late archery — selected western counties and public lands Deer General hunters
Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Highland, Lee, selected Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Wise and listed public lands county_and_public_land_group

DWR lists counties and public lands explicitly; UI should show the full geography note.

Official source
Late archery — Chesapeake, Suffolk east and Virginia Beach Deer General hunters
City of Chesapeake; City of Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line; City of Virginia Beach city_group

City-specific geography should be displayed.

Official source
Urban archery antlerless — early segment Antlerless Deer Urban archery rules Special rules
Participating Virginia cities, towns and counties urban_locality_group

Only participating localities apply.

Official source
Urban archery antlerless — late segment Antlerless Deer Urban archery rules Special rules
Participating Virginia cities, towns and counties urban_locality_group

Only participating localities apply.

Official source
Northern Virginia late archery antlerless season Antlerless Deer General hunters Special rules
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties plus listed cities county_city_group

DWR lists this as a separate NOVA late antlerless archery season.

Official source

Firearm

General rifle, gun, and firearm framework seasons. 7 seasons
Season Dates Geography Notes
Firearms on private lands — mountain county groups Deer General hunters
Buchanan, Dickenson, Wise, Alleghany, Bath, Highland, Lee, selected Rockingham, Henry, Patrick, Bland, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Augusta, Botetourt, Craig, Giles, Grayson, Rockbridge, Smyth and Washington groups county_group

DWR splits these county groups into separate antler rules; this record preserves the private-land county geography but not bag-limit detail.

Official source
Firearms on private lands — central/eastern long season Deer General hunters
DWR-listed central and eastern counties plus incorporated cities/towns county_city_group

DWR publishes a long county/city list for this season. UI should display the geography note and source link.

Official source
Firearms — Chesapeake, Suffolk east and Virginia Beach Deer General hunters
City of Chesapeake; City of Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line; City of Virginia Beach city_group

City-specific firearms season.

Official source
Early antlerless firearms — black diamond localities Antlerless Deer General hunters Special rules
DWR black-diamond private-land county/city list county_city_group

Only DWR-listed black-diamond localities apply.

Official source
Late antlerless firearms — black diamond localities Antlerless Deer General hunters Special rules
DWR black-diamond private-land county/city list county_city_group

Only DWR-listed black-diamond localities apply.

Official source
Early antlerless firearms — Bedford County yellow diamond Antlerless Deer General hunters Special rules
Bedford County private lands county

Only Bedford County private lands under DWR yellow-diamond rule.

Official source
Late antlerless firearms — Bedford County yellow diamond Antlerless Deer General hunters Special rules
Bedford County private lands county

Only Bedford County private lands under DWR yellow-diamond rule.

Official source

Muzzleloader

Muzzleloader-only or late muzzleloader opportunities. 3 seasons
Season Dates Geography Notes
Early muzzleloader season Deer General hunters
Statewide except Chesapeake, Suffolk east and Virginia Beach statewide_with_exceptions

DWR excludes listed southeast cities from early muzzleloader.

Official source
Late muzzleloader — east of Blue Ridge group Deer General hunters
DWR-listed counties east of the Blue Ridge and listed public lands county_region_group

See official DWR county/public-land lists for exact geography.

Official source
Late muzzleloader — west of Blue Ridge group Deer General hunters
DWR-listed western counties and cities county_region_group

See official DWR county/city lists for exact geography.

Official source

Youth

Youth-only, apprentice, or early youth windows. 1 season
Season Dates Geography Notes
Youth and apprentice deer hunting weekend Deer Youth and apprentice hunters
Statewide under DWR eligibility and locality rules statewide

DWR lists this statewide weekend separately.

Official source