During the 2025–2026 deer seasons, including the early September antlerless seasons (firearms and urban archery), hunters reported harvesting 227,302 deer. This was up approximately 10% from last year’s total of 205,759 over the same timeframe, and up 14% from the previous 10-year average of 198,666. This year’s total included 108,163 antlered bucks, 14,631 button bucks, 973 shed bucks, and 103,535 does (45.5%).
Archers took 32,730 deer, while 51,472 deer were taken with muzzleloaders, and 143,100 with firearms. During the youth and apprentice weekend, 2,636 deer were reported harvested. In counties where it is legal to hunt deer with dogs, dogs were used to take 50% of the deer killed during the general firearms season and 35% of the total deer taken across all seasons.
A significant number of deer hunting regulation changes were implemented this past season—mostly during the general firearms season west of the Blue Ridge—to increase opportunity and increase doe harvest to meet population objectives. While these regulations likely contributed to the increased deer harvest, the daily deer kill was ahead of last year’s pace from opening day of archery onward. Currently, 58% of the state’s deer management units (counties) are above population objectives, 38% are meeting the current objective, and 4% are below current objectives.
The data presented in this summary are preliminary and do not include deer taken during the late urban archery or antlerless-only firearms seasons. Additionally, the data exclude deer taken under kill permits or those hit and killed by vehicles. Annual deer harvest totals by county dating back to 1947 can be found on DWR’s deer webpage along with additional information on deer management in Virginia.
DWR is thankful to Virginia’s deer hunters in helping the Department get closer to deer management objectives.
حصاد الغزلان: 1947-2025
