5 Things Virginia Law Says About Hunting on Sundays
Sunday hunting is legal in Virginia now, but a church down the road still changes where you can set up.
With deer season underway, those Sunday limits are worth knowing before you head out.
Here’s what the law says about hunting on Sundays, on private and public land alike.
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Hunting rules and penalties are subject to change, so confirm the current requirements with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR).
1. Private Land Since 2014
Sunday hunting on private land has been legal in Virginia since 2014.
The Sunday ban it loosened can be traced back to 1643, in early form.
Today you need the landowner’s permission.
The state changed its Sunday hunting law to remove a separate written-permission requirement for Sunday hunts on private land.
Your Sunday hunt on private land now follows the general permission rules.
2. Public Land in 2022
Virginia’s Sunday hunting ban on public land ended when a new law took effect on July 1, 2022.
Before that date, Wildlife Management Areas and national forests were closed to hunting on Sundays.
The Senate passed the bill 29-11, and the House followed 69-28.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed it in April.
The law lets public land agencies allow Sunday hunting on the properties they manage.
Each agency makes that call, so the rules differ by property.
For example, you can hunt on a Sunday at Dragon Run State Forest in King and Queen County, but not at Charlotte State Forest in Charlotte County.
Devil’s Backbone State Forest in Shenandoah County allows Sunday hunting for archery and black powder only.
If you plan a Sunday hunt on public land, check with the agency that manages it first.
3. Worship Sites and the 200-Yard Rule
Virginia bans hunting on a Sunday within 200 yards of a place of worship.
That buffer applies on private land and public land alike.
If a place of worship sits near the edge of your hunting ground, part of that ground can be off limits to you on Sundays.
What Virginia’s 200-Yard Sunday Rule Covers
Virginia’s Sunday hunting law covers any wild bird or wild animal you might hunt, “including any nuisance species.”
The statute names a “gun, firearm, or other weapon,” so the limit reaches more than your gun.
You also have to stay 200 yards from any accessory structure of a place of worship, not only the main building.
4. No Dogs for Deer or Bear
Virginia’s Sunday hunting law also bans hunting deer or bear with dogs.
DWR says dogs may still pursue other species on a Sunday.
You can also use a tracking dog on a lead to find a wounded or dead deer or bear.
If you’re tracking a wounded deer or bear as a hunter, you may carry a weapon and use it to humanely kill the animal, even after legal shooting hours.
The search has to happen during the season or within 24 hours after it ends.
5. Class 3 Misdemeanor Penalties
If you break either Sunday hunting limit, the 200-yard buffer or the dog ban for deer and bear, you face a Class 3 misdemeanor.
That carries a fine of up to $500.
Posted Land and Written Permission
Posted land is the exception to the Sunday change.
The general rule there still requires the landowner’s written permission.
A landowner can post land with signs that prohibit hunting, fishing or trapping, or with paint marks on trees or posts at each road entrance.
Each paint mark is a vertical line at least 2 inches wide and 8 inches long, centered 3 to 6 feet off the ground.
Unposted private land requires permission too, so missing signs don’t mean you can hunt it.
Unless the owner or an agent is with you, hunting posted land without written consent is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
That class carries up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both, well above the $500 cap for a Class 3 misdemeanor.
Sundays in Deer Season
If you hunt deer on Sundays, your season starts with archery.
On Featherfin Wildlife Management Area, the 2026-27 season sheet lists deer archery from Oct. 3 through Nov. 13 and says Sunday hunting is allowed.
That puts Sundays Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25 inside archery season.
The early special muzzleloading season runs Oct. 31 through Nov. 13 in most localities.
Sundays Nov. 1 and Nov. 8 fall inside it.
The general firearms season opens Nov. 14 in most localities and runs through the first Saturday in January.
That Saturday is Jan. 2, 2027, so seven Sundays fall inside the season, from Nov. 15 through Dec. 27.
Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and the part of Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp Line follow different dates, Oct. 1 through Nov. 30.
Psst! How much do you know about the Virginia outdoors? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Virginia Outdoors IQ
Test yourself on Virginia wildlife, hunting rules and the outdoors. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Which of these animals may Virginia hunters take by day or night during an authorized season?
Hikers on Public Land
Sunday hunting on public land means hunters and non-hunters may share the same areas.
The 2022 law doesn't restrict any other permitted activity on Sundays, so a Sunday hike on those lands is still allowed.
If you hike public land during hunting season, DWR strongly encourages you to wear approved blaze-colored clothing.
Moore's Creek State Forest
Sunday hunting is allowed at Moore's Creek State Forest, a 2,353-acre tract just outside Lexington in Rockbridge County.
You need a valid State Forest Use Permit to hunt there.
You reach it only by parking on and hiking across the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.
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