Department of Game and Inland Fisheries COVID-19 update

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries encourages everyone in the Commonwealth to utilize the online option for all of your licensing and registration needs.

Hunters, anglers, boaters and wildlife enthusiasts can do most transactions online.

Update

All DGIF offices and fish hatcheries are operational, but closed for walk in traffic until further notice.

• Headquarters, Henrico
• Charles Cit
• Fredericksburg
• Forest
• Marion
• Verona

As you may have seen circulating around social media, DGIF has not canceled any hunting seasons or fishing opportunities. All access points are open. No license requirements or regulations on fishing or hunting have been lifted.

The upcoming turkey season, including youth and apprentice weekend, are still on schedule.

Trout stocking will continue. However, the following changes have been made to the 2020 Trout Stocking Program in order to promote social distancing and avoid crowds:

Heritage Day, scheduled for April 4 has been canceled.

Stockings for Urban Program Waters and the Youth-Only Stocked Trout Program will be rescheduled and will no longer be pre-announced. All waters will still receive their full allotment of trout stockings for the season.

Additionally, trout stockings at the Department’s three Fee Fishing Areas (Clinch Mountain, Crooked Creek, and Douthat Lake) will not begin in early April as planned. Stockings at the Fee Areas will resume as soon as advisable.

Information on daily trout stockings can be found on the DGIF website or by calling the Trout Line at 434-525-3474.

The following changes have been made to hunter education classes:

• All in-person Hunter Ed classes have been postponed until at least after April 14 but are still available online.
• Kalkomey, the provider of hunter-ed.com, has donated 1000 courses to ensure students have the option for online education while at home. To obtain the complementary hunter education certificate, go to hunter-ed.com/virginia and use the code G1VirginiaHE2020. You must register by April 14, 2020 for the free course.

The following event changes have been made:

• The Merrimac Farm WMA Bluebell Festival scheduled for April 11 has been canceled. Visitors may still enter the WMA to view the Virginia Bluebells found throughout the Cedar Run floodplain