What are the 2026–27 wild turkey hunting regulations in Virginia?

Virginia wild turkey regulations, 2026–27

Last updated 2026-09-24 · from VDWR data · 2026–27 licence year

Virginia's 2026–27 wild turkey season runs October 3, 2026 to January 23, 2027, on dates that depend on the zone. The bag is 1 per day. Hunter orange is required. Virginia also runs a spring season, April 10, 2027 to May 15, 2027, split into 2 segments with their own dates. Read against the 2026–27 licence year, from VDWR.

Season and limits

Season: Wild turkey (fall) — October 3, 2026 to January 23, 2027
Bag limit: 1 per day
Hunter orange: required Every hunter, and anyone accompanying one, must wear a solid blaze orange or blaze pink hat, or solid blaze upper-body clothing visible from 360 degrees, or display at least 100 square inches of solid blaze material at shoulder level, visible from 360 degrees.
Sundays: Virginia allows Sunday hunting, with two exceptions: not within 200 yards of a house of worship, and not for deer or bear with dogs.

Virginia requires solid blaze orange or blaze pink — a hat, 360-degree upper-body clothing, or 100 square inches at shoulder level. Waterfowl and dove hunters are exempt; upland bird hunters are not.
Virginia names the fall turkey zones as county lists rather than as drawn boundaries, and this app does not join them to its geography. Confirm your county against the VDWR table before opening day.
Three turkeys per licence year across the fall and spring seasons in any combination, of which at most one may be beardless. That is a yearly total, not a daily or possession limit.
Archery runs October 3 to November 13 across the state, on its own dates, in addition to the firearms zones below.

Zones

Zone	Opens	Closes	Days
Albemarle, Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Greene, Highland, Madison, Page and Rockingham counties	October 17, 2026	October 30, 2026	14
	November 26, 2026	November 26, 2026	1
Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Caroline, Carroll, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Dickenson, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Franklin, Giles, Grayson, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Lee, Loudoun, Montgomery, Nelson, Northumberland, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Richmond, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Stafford, Washington, Westmoreland, Wise and Wythe counties, plus Camp Peary, Hampton and Newport News	October 17, 2026	October 30, 2026	14
	November 25, 2026	November 26, 2026	2
	November 30, 2026	December 26, 2026	27
	January 9, 2027	January 23, 2027	15
Accomack, Amelia, Dinwiddie, Gloucester, Greensville, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Northampton, Powhatan, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, Sussex and York counties, plus Suffolk	October 17, 2026	October 30, 2026	14
	November 25, 2026	November 26, 2026	2
	November 30, 2026	December 12, 2026	13
Amherst, Appomattox, Brunswick, Buchanan, Buckingham, Campbell, Charles City, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Floyd, Fluvanna, Frederick, Goochland, Halifax, Hanover, Henrico, Henry, Louisa, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Orange, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, Tazewell and Warren counties	October 17, 2026	October 30, 2026	14
	November 25, 2026	November 26, 2026	2
	November 30, 2026	December 12, 2026	13
	January 9, 2027	January 23, 2027	15
Statewide archery	October 3, 2026	November 13, 2026	42

Licences

Hunting licence
Everyone, resident or not — Bought through Go Outdoors Virginia, and what every other permit is added to.
Hunter education certificate
Anyone born on or after 1 January 1961, and every hunter under 16 — Or an apprentice licence, which lets an uncertified hunter hunt under supervision.
Federal HIP registration
Woodcock and every other migratory bird — Free, and it lapses every July 1 — last season's registration is not this season's.
Public land permits
Hunters on national forest and some WMAs — Virginia sells a separate access permit for national forest and DWR land. Check which your ground needs before you park.

The other questions

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