LICENSES
* A seperate Bear license costing $21 for residents and $151 for non-residents is required to hunt bear.
* The bear license and deer/turkey license must be carried as a paper copy.
BEAR
* Bear youth and apprentice days is no longer in September. It has been moved to the second Saturday and Sunday in October. Adult hunters accompanying youth or apprentice bear hunters do not need a bear license on this weekend. That adult cannot carry or discharge a firearm and shall maintain close visual and verbal contact with and provide adequate direction to the youth or apprentice hunter.
DEER
* The September Youth and Apprentice deer hunting day has been extended to both Saturday & Sunday.
* Minor adjustments were made to early and late muzzleloading either sex deer hunting days West of the Blue Ridge.
* Rappahannock County now has an Earn-A-Buckregulation in effect.
* Firearms either sex deer hunting days have been reduced in 19 management units and incresed in three.
* CWD testing is now mandatory countywide in Clarke, Frederick, Shenendoah, and Warren counties during the first two Saturdays of the firearms deer season.
* Effective July 1, 2015 the possession or use of deer scents/lures that contain natural deer urine or other bodily fluids used for the purpose of taking, attempting to take, attracting, or scouting wildlife in Virginia will no longer be legal. Tarsal/scent glands from a harvested deer are also considered illegal. Synthetic scents are legal to use.
TURKEY
* The fall youth and apprentice turkey hunting day has been extended to a full weekend(both Saturday & Sunday)
* The bag limit for the youth and apprentice hunting weekend is one turkey (either sex) per youth/apprentice hunter per weekend.
* The spring youth/apprentice day has been exteneded to both Saturday & Sunday as well.
* The bag limit for the spring turkey youth/apprentice hunting weekend is one turkey (bearded birds only) per youth/apprentice hunter per weekend.
FURBEARERS & TRAPPING
* The maximum snare height has been raised with certain restictions for the snares set higher than 12" above ground level.
* The season bag limit of 12 bobcats taken by hunting and trapping combined has been removed.
**See the VDGIF REGULATIONS (found on this homepage) for all the other 2015-2016 laws**