Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp

A Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp is required of all persons (unless license exempt) 16 years of age and older hunting or taking any migratory waterfowl (ducks, geese, brant and swans) within the Commonwealth.

How to Purchase

The annual Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp can be purchased for a fee of $10.00 (resident or non-resident) at license agents or clerks that sell Virginia hunting licenses or from the Department's Web site. To request collector stamps and prints, contact Mike Hinton at (540) 351-0564 or by email at ducks@hintons.org.

Persons buying the stamp online or at a license agent will have the option of having the physical stamp mailed to them. Physical stamps will be mailed out beginning no later than mid-July 2008. The "Privileges" section on the right side of the license, listing the privileges purchased, will serve as proof of purchasing the stamp.

Either a signed physical stamp, if a stamp was received, or the "Privileges" section of the license must be carried with the licensee while hunting or taking any migratory waterfowl. The stamp does not have to be affixed to the license but must be signed across the face of the stamp by the licensee and cannot be transferred to another hunter.

Stamp Fund

The monies generated from all sales of the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp will be placed in the Department's Game Protection Fund and accounted for under a separate fund designated as the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp Fund (the Stamp Fund) and shall be used only by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in the following manner:

  • The Department will first utilize these monies to cover administrative costs associated with production, issuance of, and accounting for the Stamp.
  • The Department shall contract 50% of the remaining annual revenue deposited in the Stamp Fund with appropriate nonprofit organizations for cooperative waterfowl habitat improvement projects. The department will establish an internal review committee to set criteria for project eligibility and approval of projects.
  • The remainder of the monies in the Stamp Fund shall be used by the Department to protect, preserve, restore, enhance and develop waterfowl habitat in Virginia.

For more information, please contact the Department at dgifweb@dgif.virginia.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. Do I need a Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp to hunt doves?
    • No. The Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp is only required when hunting or taking ducks, geese, brant or swans in Virginia.
  2. If I get my Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp online or through an automated license system, do I have to send off for the actual stamp?
    • No. When purchasing the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp through an automated license delivery system you will have the option of getting the actual stamp by mail. If you decide not to get the stamp then the license with your listed "privileges" will serve as your proof of purchase.
  3. I'm a collector, can I get a Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp?
    • Yes. Collector editions of the stamps and prints are available by contacting Mike Hinton at (540) 351-0564 or by email at ducks@hintons.org.
  4. Do I still have to be registered with the Virginia Harvest Information Program (HIP) if I buy the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp?
    • Yes. All hunters planning to hunt migratory gamebirds (dove, woodcock, rail, snipe, gallinule and waterfowl) must still register with Virginia's HIP. The HIP registration is free and can be completed by calling 1-888-788-9772 or online at vahip.com.
  5. If I am a landowner hunting waterfowl on my own land do I need to purchase a Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp?
    • The legislation passed establishing the stamp reads "Any person who is exempt from hunting license requirements shall also be exempt from the requirements imposed by this section" (section: 29.1-339.2, Establishment of Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp). This means a landowner hunting waterfowl on their own property would be exempt from purchasing a Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp.
  6. Do I need a Federal Duck Stamp in addition to the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp?
    • Yes. A Federal Duck Stamp is required of any person 16 years of age and older to hunt or take any migratory waterfowl.
  7. Can I buy a Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp at the U.S. Post Office when I pick up my Federal Duck Stamp?
    • No. Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamps are available at license agents that sell Virginia hunting licenses, or online at the Department's web site.
  8. If I get a Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp do I have to sign it and stick it on my hunting license?
    • Yes and No. As the licensee you must sign the stamp across the face of the stamp. The law does not require the stamp to be affixed to the license. The signed stamp must be in your possession when hunting or taking any migratory waterfowl. The Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp cannot be transferred to another hunter.
  9. What do I do if I lose my Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp?
    • You will need to purchase another one. There are no provisions for a duplicate stamp to be sold at a lower fee.
  10. There are no numbers on my stamp - can you explain?
    • Sequential numbering of stamps was costly to print; to save on this administrative overhead, so more dollars could remain in the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp Fund, it was decided to forego numbering individual stamps.

About the Artist - Carl "Spike" Knuth

Artist, Writer, Photographer, Naturalist

Spike Knuth grew up around the lakes and marshes of southeastern Wisconsin. His love of birds was kindled at an early age, when his parents bought him a bird book, when he was 6 years old. At age 7, there was a hobby show in his second grade class. His bird art was highly praised which encouraged him to continue. As a kid he spent many hours fishing Okauchee Lake, about 35 miles west of his birthplace in Milwaukee. Here he rowed his uncle's rowboats around the lake for miles and for hours. All the while he was learning about birds. Since age 12 his desire was to be a wildlife illustrator and outdoor writer.

In 1950, his family moved to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin along the 137,000-acre Lake Winnebago. The big lake and Supple Marsh on its southwest end, plus Eldorado Marsh eight miles west, Horicon Marsh, 20 miles south and all the forests and fields in between became added classrooms for Spike as he kept nature journals throughout the seasons, made sketches and took photos for future reference.

He began hunting at age 16. He was enamored with ducks ever since seeing Ducks Unlimited's "Whispering Wings" at the Milwaukee Sentinel Sports Show in the early 1950s. In 1953 he went to his first Ducks Unlimited dinner with his dad and watched a Gromme original auctioned off. The late Owen Gromme, once known as the dean of waterfowl painters, was a Fond du Lac native.

Eldorado Marsh, Supple Marsh, and Lake Winnebago provided waterfowl hunting experiences as well as more fishing opportunities, but always Spike had an eye on everything else that was going on around him. To paint birds in their natural habitat, he wanted to get the flora correct, so he set out to learn as much about trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, and other plants so he could be more accurate. He began duck hunting in 1965, donated his first piece of original art to a Ducks Unlimited dinner in Oshkosh in 1967. Since then he has donated 450 original paintings and a 100 prints to Ducks Unlimited and many more to other conservation organizations.

Spike began his career with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) February 1, 1974. Prior to that, he worked at Mercury Outboards as a hand trucker, then as a dispatcher in production control, and finally as a commercial artist for 11-1/2 of the 13 years there. He worked 4-1/2 years as a news photographer at the Fond du Lac Reporter.

He has illustrated about 80 covers for a variety of publications; has done hundreds of inside color and black and white illustrations, written hundreds of articles, has co-hosted and co-produced 300 TV programs, and did a 2-minute radio program on WRVA Richmond from May, 1993 until August 2000. He has five state duck stamps to his credit, 1978 Indiana, 1992 Virginia, the 1999 Virginia, the 2004 Virginia Ducks Unlimited Stamp/Print and now the 2008 Virginia stamp. He retired from VDGIF on June 1, 2003 after 29 years and four months of service.

Spike continues to do work for Virginia Wildlife Magazine, for Chesapeake Style Magazine, and for Cooperative Living Magazine every other month.

His art can be seen at Jager Galleries in Richmond, Turner Sculpture and Galleries in Onley, and Hollowell's Art Studios in Walters.

Spike resides in Mechanicsville, VA with Susie, his wife of 45 years. They have two married sons in North Carolina and six grandchildren.

Knuth Wildlife Art
7286 Harvest Lane Mechanicsville, VA 23111-3436
(804) 746-4601 / knuth.wildlifeart@comcast.net