Section 11. Open season; generally.

A. It shall be lawful to hunt bears within:

Location	Season
Accomack County	Closed
Albemarle County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Alleghany County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Amelia County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Amherst County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Appomattox County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Arlington County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Augusta County (North of US-250)	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Augusta County (South of US-250)	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Bath County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Bedford County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Bland County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Botetourt County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Brunswick County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Buchanan County	First Monday in December through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Buckingham County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Campbell County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Caroline County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Carroll County	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Charles City County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Charlotte County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Chesapeake (City of)	October 1 through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Chesterfield County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Clarke County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Craig County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Culpeper County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Cumberland County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Dickenson County	First Monday in December through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Dinwiddie County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Essex County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Fairfax County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Fauquier County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Floyd County	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Fluvanna County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Franklin County	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Frederick County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Giles County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Gloucester County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Goochland County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Grayson County	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Greene County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Greensville County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Halifax County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Hanover County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Henrico County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Henry County	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Highland County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Isle of Wight County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
James City County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
King and Queen County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
King George County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
King William County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Lancaster County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Lee County	First Monday in December through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Loudoun County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Louisa County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Lunenburg County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Madison County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Mathews County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Mecklenburg County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Middlesex County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Montgomery County (southeast of I-81)	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Montgomery County (northwest of I-81)	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Nelson County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
New Kent County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Northampton County	Closed
Northumberland County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Nottoway County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Orange County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Page County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Patrick County	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Pittsylvania County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Powhatan County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Prince Edward County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Prince George County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Prince William County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Pulaski County (southeast of I-81)	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Pulaski County (northwest of I-81)	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Rappahannock County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Richmond County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Roanoke County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Rockbridge County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Rockingham County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Russell County (except on the Channels State Forest and Clinch Mountain WMA)	First Monday in December through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Russell County (on the Channels State Forest and Clinch Mountain WMA)	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Scott County	First Monday in December through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Shenandoah County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Smyth County (southeast of I-81)	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Smyth County (northwest of I-81)	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Southampton County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Spotsylvania County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Stafford County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Suffolk (City of)	October 1 through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Surry County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Sussex County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Tazewell County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Virginia Beach (City of)	October 1 through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Warren County	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Washington County (southeast of I-81)	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Washington County (northwest of I-81 and east of Route 19)	First Monday in December through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Washington County (northwest of I-81 and west of Route 19)	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Westmoreland County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.
Wise County	First Monday in December through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
Wythe County (southeast of I-81)	First Monday in December and for 19 days following.
Wythe County (northwest of I-81)	Fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive.
York County	Monday nearest December 2 and for 5 consecutive hunting days following.

B. Except as provided in the subsection A of this section, bears may be hunted from the Saturday prior to the fourth Monday in November through the first Saturday in January, both dates inclusive, within the incorporated limits of any city that allows bear hunting.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 27, Issue 23, eff. July 1, 2011; amended, Virginia Register Volume 29, Issue 25, eff. August 15, 2013; Volume 30, Issue 24, eff. August 1, 2014.

Statutory Authority

§§ 29.1-103, 29.1-501, and 29.1-502 of the Code of Virginia.