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Virginia · 2026-27 season year

Virginia Deer Season 2026-27

Archery Deer Seasons: October 3, 2026 to January 2, 2027. Private Lands Firearms Deer Seasons: October 1, 2026 to January 2, 2027. Every date below was read from Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources’s own published page, linked beside it, on September 2, 2026.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 2, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.
October 3, 2026 to January 2, 2027
Archery Deer Seasons
published
October 1, 2026 to January 2, 2027
Private Lands Firearms Deer Seasons
published
October 31, 2026 to January 2, 2027
Muzzleloader Deer Seasons
published
4 zone rows
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
The four questions in one

Virginia deer seasons, 2026-27

“When does deer season open” is four questions wearing one coat. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources dates white-tailed deer seasons separately by weapon, so each one is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Archery Deer Seasons

published

Archery Deer Seasons is OPEN now in the Early archery, statewide, through November 13, 2026.

Virginia archery deer seasons, as published by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Early archery, statewideOctober 3, 2026November 13, 2026
Late archery, Henry and Patrick counties and areas west of the Blue Ridge unless exceptedDecember 13, 2026January 2, 2027DWR lists county exceptions
Late archery, Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Highland, Lee, Rockingham west of Rts 613 and 731, Russell, Scott, Tazewell and Wise, plus National Forest and Department owned lands west of the Blue RidgeNovember 29, 2026January 2, 2027
Late archery, Chesapeake, Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line, and Virginia BeachDecember 1, 2026January 2, 2027

Dates read from Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons, Virginia DWR, accessed 2026-09-02.

Virginia runs one statewide early archery window and three separately dated late archery windows. The urban archery and northern Virginia late archery seasons are dated separately again and are listed under other seasons.

Private Lands Firearms Deer Seasons

published

Private Lands Firearms Deer Seasons is OPEN now in the Chesapeake, Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line, and Virginia Beach, through November 30, 2026.

Virginia private lands firearms deer seasons, as published by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Private lands county groups DWR lists with the shorter western window (Buchanan; Dickenson and Wise; Alleghany, Bath, Highland, Lee and Rockingham west of Rts 613 and 731; Henry and Patrick; Bland, Russell, Scott and Tazewell; Augusta, Botetourt, Craig, Giles, Grayson, Rockbridge, Smyth and Washington)November 14, 2026December 12, 2026Six county groups in the DWR table share this window
Private lands county groups DWR lists with the longer eastern window (Caroline, King and Queen and King William; Amelia, Cumberland, Gloucester and Nottoway; Appomattox, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Dinwiddie, Essex, Lunenburg, Mathews, Mecklenburg, Middlesex and Prince Edward; and the large central and eastern group)November 14, 2026January 2, 2027Four county groups in the DWR table share this window
Chesapeake, Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line, and Virginia BeachOctober 1, 2026November 30, 2026

Dates read from Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons, Virginia DWR, accessed 2026-09-02.

Every window above is the private lands firearms season. DWR groups its counties into eleven rows that share the three windows shown, and it dates National Forest and other public lands separately in its own public lands table. Read the county lists and the public lands table at DWR before you hunt.

Muzzleloader Deer Seasons

published

Muzzleloader Deer Seasons opens in 12 days, on October 31, 2026 (Early muzzleloader, all areas except Chesapeake, Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line, and Virginia Beach).

Virginia muzzleloader deer seasons, as published by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Early muzzleloader, all areas except Chesapeake, Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line, and Virginia BeachOctober 31, 2026November 13, 2026
Late muzzleloader east of the Blue Ridge (Henry and Patrick counties, federal and Department owned lands in Franklin County, National Forest lands in Amherst, Bedford and Nelson counties, and Chesapeake, Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line and Virginia Beach)December 12, 2026January 2, 2027
Late muzzleloader west of the Blue Ridge, unless exceptedDecember 12, 2026January 2, 2027DWR lists the counties with no late muzzleloader season

Dates read from Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons, Virginia DWR, accessed 2026-09-02.

DWR notes there is no early muzzleloader season in Chesapeake, Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line or Virginia Beach because the general firearms season is already running there, and no late muzzleloader season in the counties where the same overlap occurs.

Youth and Apprentice Deer Hunting Weekend

published

Youth and Apprentice Deer Hunting Weekend has closed for the season year; the last segment ended September 27, 2026.

Virginia youth and apprentice deer hunting weekend, as published by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 26, 2026September 27, 2026

Dates read from Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons, Virginia DWR, accessed 2026-09-02.

A single statewide weekend, the earliest deer window on the Virginia calendar, a week before the early archery opener.

For which days to sit, the Virginia deer movement forecast rates the next 7 days Slow to Prime from the weather and first light.

Youth and Apprentice Deer Hunting Weekend September 26 and 27
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, read September 2, 2026. Read it at the source
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The rest of the calendar

Other Virginia deer seasons the agency names

Beyond the four main windows, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources dates 3 further seasons for deer. They are reproduced here under the agency’s own names, because a hunter reading a calendar needs to know which window a tag actually covers.

Urban Archery Deer Seasons

published

Urban Archery Deer Seasons opens in 76 days, on January 3, 2027 (Participating cities, towns and counties DWR lists).

Virginia urban archery deer seasons, as published by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Participating cities, towns and counties DWR lists (segment 1)September 5, 2026October 2, 2026
Participating cities, towns and counties DWR lists (segment 2)January 3, 2027March 28, 2027

Dates read from Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons, Virginia DWR, accessed 2026-09-02.

An early and a late window inside the incorporated limits of the localities that take part; DWR's urban archery page carries the list.

NOVA Late Archery Season

published

NOVA Late Archery Season opens in 161 days, on March 29, 2027 (Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties, except on Department owned lands).

Virginia nova late archery season, as published by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties, except on Department owned landsMarch 29, 2027April 25, 2027

Dates read from Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons, Virginia DWR, accessed 2026-09-02.

The last deer window of the Virginia season year, running into late April in the four northern Virginia counties.

Early and Late Antlerless Only Firearms Deer Seasons

published

Early and Late Antlerless Only Firearms Deer Seasons opens in 76 days, on January 3, 2027 (Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, plus private lands in the counties DWR lists).

Virginia early and late antlerless only firearms deer seasons, as published by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, plus private lands in the counties DWR lists (segment 1)September 5, 2026October 2, 2026
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, plus private lands in the counties DWR lists (segment 2)January 3, 2027March 28, 2027
Private lands in Bedford County (segment 1)September 5, 2026October 2, 2026
Private lands in Bedford County (segment 2)January 3, 2027January 31, 2027

Dates read from Deer Hunting Regulations and Seasons, Virginia DWR, accessed 2026-09-02.

Two long shoulder windows either side of the main season in the localities DWR designates.

Zones

Virginia deer zones

Virginia does not have a deer season. It has 4 of them, and the boundaries between them were drawn by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources along highways, rivers and county fragments rather than anything you can see from a stand. In several states those boundaries are not even the same from one weapon season to the next.

This page publishes the agency’s zone names and links the agency’s own zone map, which is where a hunter’s zone is determined. A wrong zone answer is a wrong season date.

Alert white-tailed buck standing in bare late fall brush at dusk
A buck on the move in bare November brush at Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota. Photo: Liz Julian/USFWS. “White-tailed Deer, Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota” — Liz Julian / USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain
Rules

Virginia deer hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Virginia regulations

Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours, tagging and reporting, and license and permit requirements for Virginia are set by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources: current regulations
Two hunters in blaze orange and camouflage beside a wheelchair at the edge of bare winter woods, one helping the other with gear
Getting ready at the edge of the winter woods on a mobility assisted deer hunt. Many states date a season specifically for hunters with disabilities, and those windows are on the state pages. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps. “USMC-11410” — U.S. Marine Corps (official photo, marines.mil) — Public domain

Deer season dates in other states

Virginia deer movement forecastThe next 7 days rated Slow to Prime for deer movement, from the forecast and first light.Virginia deer rutThe biology beside the calendar: when deer actually breed here, from the agency conception studies. Dates are this page; the rut is that one.Virginia turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Virginia duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.Virginia fall foliagePeak color and the archery weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

Virginia deer season questions

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Buck with antlers in velvet standing in tall summer grass in golden light
A buck still in velvet in late summer. The earliest archery openers land within weeks of antlers hardening. “White-tailed Deer Buck in Velvet (48804848567)” — USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources page linked beside it, read on September 2, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours and license rules are set by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national deer season guide and the Virginia rut timing page.