Hunting Licenses & Permits

Residency Qualifications:

  • Persons who have been a bonafide resident of the city, county, or state for six consecutive months immediately preceding the date of application for license.
  • Persons who have been domiciliary residents of the state for at least two months upon approval of a completed affidavit to be furnished by the Game Department.
  • Legal voters in Virginia.
  • Members of the armed forces if they reside in the Commonwealth and are on active duty and are stationed at military installations within, or on ships based in the Commonwealth.
  • Students (including nonresident students boarding on campus) residing in Virginia who are enrolled in bonafide Virginia schools.
  • Unnaturalized owners of real property in Virginia who have resided in a county for five years immediately prior to making application for a license may apply for resident licenses only in the county where they qualify.

Every person who is required to have a license must carry such license and shall show the license immediately upon demand of any officer whose duty it is to enforce the game and inland fish laws, or upon the demand of any owner or lessee, or any employee or representative of such owner or lessee, upon whose land or water such person may be hunting, trapping or fishing.

No state or county resident licensed to hunt, trap or fish in or on the lands or inland waters of this Commonwealth shall be deemed to be issued until the certificate printed on the reverse side of that license shall have been signed by the named licensee.

Exceptions

All persons, except those listed below, must purchase the proper licenses before hunting or trapping. Where exempt, the exemption means the individual is exempt from the basic hunting license, bear, deer, turkey license, archery license, crossbow license, muzzleloading license, and Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp.

  • Resident or non-resident landowners, their spouses, their children and grandchildren and the spouses of such children and grandchildren, or the landowner’s parents, resident or non-resident, do not need a license to hunt, trap or fish within the boundaries of their own lands and inland waters.
  • Tenants, on the land they rent and occupy, are not required to have a license, but must have the written permission of the landowner.
  • Residents, 65 years of age and over, do not need a license to hunt or trap on private property in their county of residence.
  • Residents under the age of 12 are not required to obtain a license to hunt provided they are accompanied and directly supervised within sight of an adult who has a valid Virginia hunting license on their person.
  • Residents under the age of 16 are not required to have a license to trap when accompanied by any person 18 years of age or older who possesses a valid Virginia trapping license.
  • Any person who is not hunting, but is aiding a disabled person to hunt when such disabled person possesses a valid Virginia Disabled Resident Lifetime hunting license or a Virginia Resident Disabled Veteran Lifetime license is not required to have a license.
  • Any Indian who "habitually" resides on an Indian reservation or a member of the Virginia recognized tribes who resides in the Commonwealth is not required to have a license; however, such Indian must have on his person an identification card or paper signed by the chief of his tribe, a valid tribal identification card, written confirmation through a central tribal registry, or certification from a tribal office.

No one is exempt from purchasing a resident or nonresident Bonus Deer Permit or purchasing Federal Duck Stamp or obtaining a HIP number if hunting migratory game birds.

Archery/Crossbow/Muzzleloading License Requirements

  • If hunting with a bow and arrow (longbow, recurve or compound) for any game species during any archery season you must have a state or county hunting license, an archery license, and all other applicable licenses or permits.
  • If hunting with a crossbow for any game species during any archery season you must have a state or county hunting license, a crossbow license, and all other applicable licenses or permits.
  • If hunting with a muzzleloading firearm for any game species during any muzzleloader deer season you must have a state or county hunting license, a muzzleloading license, and all other applicable licenses or permits.
  • If hunting with archery tackle or muzzleloading rifle during the firearms deer season you do not need an archery, crossbow or muzzleloading license.

Mandatory Hunter Education Requirements

Hunter Education courses provide instruction in hunter safety, principles of conservation and sportsmanship. The courses are a minimum of 10 hours in length and cover many topics preparing new hunters to enjoy their experience in the outdoors. Courses are offered free of charge throughout the Commonwealth. A list of courses is available online or by contacting one of the Department's regional offices. You can call 1-866-604-1122 for a listing of Hunter Education classes near you. For information about obtaining a replacement certificate, call 1-877-486-8338.

The following persons are required to present a Hunter Education Certificate in order to purchase a hunting license:

  • All persons who are 12-15 years of age.
  • All persons 16 years of age or older who have never been issued a hunting license.

The following persons may be issued a hunting license without presenting a Hunter Education Certificate:

  • Any person 16 years of age or older who presents a previously issued hunting license. Virginia accepts and recognizes all states’and countries’hunting licenses and hunter education credentials for the purpose of complying with mandatory hunter education requirements. These may be in the form of an identification card or certificate.
  • Any person 16 years of age or older who certifies that he or she has held a previously issued hunting license by signing the back of the license.
  • First time hunters and hunters 12 to 15 years of age are required to complete the hunter education course before buying a hunting license and must present the hunter education course completion certificate when purchasing a hunting license from a license agent.
  • When first time hunters age 16 or older are hunting on a license purchased by telephone, the Internet, or other electronic means, they must carry their hunter education course completion certificate on their person while hunting during their first license year.
  • When hunters, age 12 to 15 years of age, are hunting on a license purchased by telephone, the Internet, or other electronic means, they must carry their hunter education course completion card or certificate on their person while hunting, or be accompanied by and directly supervised by a properly licensed adult while hunting.
  • Any person under the age of 12. Youth (under the age of 12) must be accompanied and directly supervised by a parent, legal guardian or an adult (designated by the parent or guardian) when hunting. The supervising adult must possess a valid Virginia hunting license.
  • Any person who only hunts foxes with hounds while on horseback, but without firearms.

Customer Service Center for Purchasers of Hunting Licenses

A customer service center has been established to help purchasers of hunting and fishing licenses. The center is open from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday, except holidays. The customer service center phone number is 1-866-721-6911 or e-mail customerservice@dgif.virginia.gov. Representatives at the center will be available to answer questions about licensing, assist you in purchasing the licenses appropriate for your hunting or fishing outing, correct information on a current license or re-issue a lost license.

License Year

All licenses sold by the Deparment are valid for one year from the date of purchase with two exceptions: the Deer, Bear,Turkey License and the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp.

Replacement License

If a license is lost, a duplicate license can be obtained from any license agent.