What's New for 2009-2010

General Information

  • The shot shell limit for crows has been removed. Hunters may now use unplugged shotguns while hunting crows.
  • A properly licensed hunter may carry both a muzzleloading gun and archery tackle when the muzzleloading seasons for deer or bear overlap with the archery seasons for deer or bear.

Blaze Orange

  • Dove hunters are no longer required to wear blaze orange during the deer firearms seasons.
  • Blaze orange requirements for firearms deer season are in effect on the youth deer hunting day, September 26.

Bear

Archery Season

  • Statewide archery season will be increased by 2 weeks to run concurrently with the deer archery season.

Muzzleloading Seasons

  • The bear muzzleloading season has been expanded into a number of new counties and increased from a 4-day season to a 6-or 12-day season.

Firearms Seasons

  • One additional day (Saturday opening) of general firearms season in 9 counties west of I-81.
  • Thirty-five new counties will be opened for a 6-week general bear firearms season.
  • Selected public lands in southwest Virginia will increase to a 6-week general firearms season.
  • Tazewell and Roanoke Counties will have a uniform, 6-week season, instead of split seasons.
  • Six-day general firearms season established in 20 southside counties.

Deer

Youth Deer Hunting Day

  • Youth 15 years of age and younger can hunt either-sex deer on September 26 statewide, except in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties.

Bonus Deer Permits

  • Increase the number of antlerless deer tags on bonus permits from 2 tags to 6 tags.

Muzzleloading Season

  • The one antlered buck limit was removed during the early muzzleloading season west of the Blue Ridge and on National Forest lands in Amherst, Bedford and Nelson counties.

Muzzleloading — Either-Sex Deer Hunting Days

  • The either-sex deer hunting day west of the Blue Ridge during the early muzzleloading season is moved from the 2nd Monday to the 2nd Saturday.
  • Increased either-sex deer hunting days on private lands in Carroll, Grayson, Montgomery, and Scott counties.
  • Increased either-sex deer hunting days on private and public lands in Dickenson and Wise counties.
  • Reduced either-sex deer hunting days on public lands in 14 western counties and on private lands in western Rockingham County.

Firearms Season

  • Pittsylvania County will have a uniform 7-week season, instead of a split season.

Firearms — Either-Sex DeerHunting Days

  • Either-sex deer hunting days have been increased in 48 counties and cities.
  • Either-sex deer hunting days have been reduced to 1 day on public lands in 19 western counties and on private lands in western Rockingham County.

Turkey

  • All spring turkeys must be checked using the telephone or Internet. Spring turkeys cannot be checked at a check station.

Squirrel Season

  • The following counties have been opened to fox squirrel hunting during all squirrel seasons: Albemarle, Bedford, Franklin, Greene, Patrick and Prince William.
  • The spring squirrel season (June 5-19) has been expanded to include all private lands and additional Wildlife Management Areas. It is now legal to hunt squirrels with dogs during the spring season.

Furbearers

Raccoon

  • Raccoon hunters in portions of southwestern Virginia can now chase raccoons on National Forest and Department controlled lands August 8-September 26.

Otter

  • Sixteen additional counties West of the Blue Ridge Mountains were opened to otter trapping.

Bobcat and Otter Tags

  • Hunters and trappers who ship bobcat or otter pelts out-of-state to be tanned for personal use are no longer required to affix a CITES tag to the pelt prior to shipping. This same provision also applies to taxidermists who ship bobcat and otter pelts out-of-state for tanning purposes.

Trapping Methods

Checking Body-Gripping Traps

  • Conibear-style body-gripping traps that are completely submerged can now be checked once every 72 hours instead of once each day.

Use of Certain Types of Foothold Traps

Restrictions on the use of foothold traps with teeth or jawspreads exceeding 6½ inches have been clarified to prohibit their use in all types of land sets.

Quail Action Plan

  • We have a new quail management webpage. Take a look for comprehensive management advice.
  • The Upland Gamebird Trail. Also on the quail management webpage, click on Upland Gamebird Trail to view a map of all commercial upland gamebird hunting preserves in Virginia with contact information provided.

Public Hunting Lands

  • There will be 3 new quota hunts this fall.