Urban Archery Season

September 1 through October 5 and January 7 through March 30, within the incorporated limits of the cities of Bedford, Chesapeake, Colonial Heights, Danville, Emporia, Franklin, Fredericksburg, Hopewell, Lexington, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Radford, Richmond, Staunton, Suffolk, and Winchester; and, in the towns of Altavista, Amherst, Blacksburg, Blackstone, Christiansburg, Farmville, Halifax, Independence, Irvington, Kenbridge, Pearisburg, Pulaski, Richlands, Rocky Mount, Saltville, Smithfield, Stuart, Tazewell, and West Point; and, in the counties of Chesterfield, Fairfax, Roanoke (except on National Forest and Department-owned lands), and York. New participants for the 2012-2013 season include the cities of Bedford and Chesapeake; towns of Irvington and Smithfield; and the county of Roanoke. NOTE: Loudoun and Prince William counties have antlerless deer hunting seasons during the same dates as the urban archery season (see Deer Seasons).

This page is organized into the following sections below:

General restrictions for all participating localities,
Restrictions and other information specific to each participating locality,
Background information about the urban archery season.

General Information (for all localities)

Only antlerless deer may be taken.
Hunters must abide by all applicable sections of the Virginia State Code, Virginia Hunting Regulations, and local ordinances. See local restrictions in the next section below.
Licenses, bag limits, and tagging requirements for the urban archery season are the same as for the other archery seasons in Virginia. You must purchase an archery license to hunt during any special archery season. See "License Requirements".
The urban archery season does not open new properties to hunting. It is simply an extension of the archery season when only antlerless deer can be taken. As always, you must have landowner permission before hunting.
Lists of properties available for hunting are not maintained by the Virginia Department of Game of Inland Fisheries or local governments. To find available properties, visit with or contact local landowners, hunters, archery clubs, or check stations. Hunters in Fairfax County may wish to contact Suburban Whitetail Management of Northern Virginia, Inc. or visit the Fairfax County Archery Program web page.
You must obtain permission to hunt from the landowner. You must also obtain permission to pursue or retrieve deer from neighboring landowners. Due to the small size of parcels and proximity of residences, you or the landowner should notify adjacent property owners or tenants, as a courtesy, before hunting.
Crossbows are defined by law as a type of bow and are therefore legal during urban archery season. However, to use a crossbow during any special archery season, you must also purchase a crossbow license. See "License Requirements".
The season bag limit for deer cannot be exceeded unless bonus deer permits are purchased. See "Bonus Deer Permits".
Most localities participating in the urban archery season also allow archery hunting during other traditional deer seasons; i.e., early archery season, general firearms season, and late archery season (see below). Antlered deer may be taken during these traditional seasons, provided that the locality of interest allows archery hunting during these seasons. Remember that only antlerless deer may be taken during the urban archery season.
Bucks that drop antlers prior to the conclusion of the urban archery season are considered "antlerless" and may be legally harvested and tagged with an antlerless-only deer tag.
Deer must be checked by calling 1-866-GOT-GAME, online, or at a big game check station.

Local Urban Archery Restrictions

Check back here this summer for updated information on all participating localities.

Background Information

Human-deer conflicts are increasing in urban areas throughout the Commonwealth. Numerous cities, towns, and urbanized counties have requested assistance regarding damage caused by deer to vehicles and personal property. Residential, commercial, and industrial development has altered the landscape of Virginia. In many cases, more favorable habitat conditions for white-tailed deer populations have resulted, and deer populations have flourished. Additionally, many jurisdictions have enacted local ordinances to prohibit the discharge of firearms. This creates large tracts of land that act as refuges (sanctuaries) for unregulated growth of deer populations.

The objective of the urban archery season is to reduce human/deer conflicts in urban areas by concentrating archery-hunting pressure in urban/suburban areas. Archery deer hunting is an effective, quiet method for harvesting deer in urban settings. The concept is modeled after a successful urban archery season initiated several years ago in West Virginia. Additionally, urban archery seasons have been used as an effective deer management option for numerous years in several Midwestern states.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries established an urban archery season during 2002 to assist towns and cities across the Commonwealth with urban deer management issues. The urban archery season gives localities a means to reduce deer populations within their limits while at the same time providing hunting recreation. The regulation that establishes this season is permissive, and the season is available to every incorporated city and town in Virginia and to every county with a human population density of 300 persons per square mile or more. Therefore, the season is only "open" in those towns, cities, and counties that requested to participate in writing.

Any locality participating in the urban archery season will remain in the program until it notifies the Department otherwise. Any city, town, or county no longer participating in this season shall submit by certified letter to the department prior to April 1 notice of its intent not to participate in the special urban archery season. On the other hand, a locality that is not currently participating, but wishes to do so, shall submit by certified letter to the department prior to April 1 notice of its intent to participate in the urban archery season.

To make this season a success, urban archery deer hunters are asked to be extra careful regarding safety, to respect the property rights of all landowners, and to report any questionable behavior or violations they may witness. Because many urban archers may be hunting on small acreages and/or near dwellings during, they are reminded to pay close attention to property lines and to notify adjacent landowners or tenants as a courtesy before they hunt. State law does not allow a hunter to follow a wounded animal on to another person's property without the landowners' permission.

We as an agency are very pleased with this season that provides a permissive proactive approach for urban deer management to local governments. Hunters or citizens who have questions or comments about the urban archery season are asked to call Nelson Lafon, Deer Project Coordinator, at nelson.lafon@dgif.virginia.gov or (540) 569-0023.