Are you prepared? Virginia deer firearms season begins this weekend

Deer firearms season in Virginia begins on Saturday, Nov. 16. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is encouraging hunters to review regulations and inspect safety gear and firearms to ensure they are in working order, among other tips before you head out.

Planning includes taking a hunter safety course and having a valid hunting license, according to DWR.

There are nearly 250,000 acres of public land to hunt within DWR’s wildlife management areas. For those hunting on private property, DWR recommends communicating with the landowner and securing permission in advance.

Virginia deer firearms season

Day-of-hunting recommendations

• Make sure you communicate your plan with someone. Let them know where you plan to hunt and what time to expect you back home
• Make sure to pack plenty of water, snacks, a first aid kit and a cell phone or other means of communication
• Check the weather, dress appropriately, and always wear the required blaze orange for safety
• Know the property you plan to hunt including terrain and boundary lines and don’t forget to bring a map or mapping app and a compass
• If you’re hunting from a tree stand, remember to wear a safety harness and use a fall arrest system
• Have a plan on how to get your deer out of the woods and processed

Testing for Chronic Wasting Disease

If you plan to hunt in one of the chronic wasting disease (CWD) management areas, make sure you know the regulations including where carcasses can and can’t be transported.

• Deer harvested on Nov. 16 in Shenandoah, Carroll, Franklin, Patrick, Pulaski, Wythe and Tazewell counties are required to be tested for CWD.
• Staffed check stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Deer harvested in other counties are not required to be submitted, but free testing is available to all hunters

Using hounds when hunting

• Know the property you plan to hunt including terrain and boundary line
• Ensure that you are casting and hunting on property where you have permission to do so
• Make sure all your dogs wear a substantial collar with a tag displaying the owners name and phone number.
• It is always a good idea to proactively reach out to landowners adjacent to the property you plan to hunt in case a hound becomes lost in the hunt.

Bag limits

• East of the Blue Ridge (except on National Forest lands in Amherst, Bedford and Nelson counties): The bag limit for deer shall be two a day, six a license yea
• West of the Blue Ridge and on National Forest lands in Amherst, Bedford and Nelson counties: The bag limit for deer shall be two a day and five a license year.
• The daily bag limit for deer shall be unlimited in all cities and towns west of the Blue Ridge. However, no more than two antlered deer may be taken in a license year.
• Only one deer per day may be taken on National Forest lands and department-owned and managed lands west of the Blue Ridge.
• If a deer hunter kills two antlered bucks in a license year in Alleghany, Bath, Highland or Rockbridge counties, at least one of the bucks must have at least four antler points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers.
• Only one elk per day may be taken statewide.
• Deer hunters, including those exempt from purchasing a license, on private land and authorized public lands may take more than the license-year bag limit of antlerless deer by using bonus deer permits or special deer permits (DCAP, DMAP and DPOP).
• DCAP, DMAP and DPOP deer tags do not count against the daily or season bag limit.

Regulations and licenses are available on the DWR website.