● Real agency + USGS data · over-the-counter state
Virginia — where you can actually hunt
Virginia sells tags over the counter — there's no draw. So the question is where: which counties have public land you can walk onto and hunt. And “public land” isn't one thing — a national park or a refuge is closed or permit-only, so we count only what's truly open, and show the rest honestly. Pick your species below.
What “huntable” means here
✓ National Forest✓ BLM✓ State Game Lands / WMA✓ State Forest✓ County Forest✕ Parks · refuges (permit) · military
National forest, BLM, and state game lands / WMAs are open to hunting (state wildlife-agency lands are managed forit); state forests generally are. National & state parks and military land are closed; wildlife refuges are permit-only — those are excluded from the number.
SourceVirginia Dept. of Wildlife Resources + USGS PAD-US 4.1 + US Census
As of 2024-25 season. 2024-25 antlered harvest + PAD-US public land by type.
View agency harvest records ↗129
Counties
13
≥20% huntable land
Bedford
Top deer county (3,358)
By huntable public land
Most huntable counties first
Ranked by open public land — state game lands / WMAs and national forest are the open categories that push a county up. The mix shows what kind; deer harvest (antlered-buck, 2024-25) shows where the animals are.
| County | Huntable | Land mix | Buck harvest (2024) | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig | 55.3% | National Forest 55.2% | 999 | |
| Bath | 54.8% | National Forest 50.9% · State Game Lands / WMA 3.9% · Parks 1.2% | 1,053 | |
| Alleghany | 49.7% | National Forest 49.7% | 1,031 | |
| Bland | 33.4% | National Forest 33.4% | 827 | |
| Augusta | 33.1% | National Forest 31.1% · Parks 2.8% · State Game Lands / WMA 1.9% | 2,911 | |
| Smyth | 29.7% | National Forest 26.1% · State Game Lands / WMA 3.6% · Parks 1.7% | 1,067 | |
| Giles | 28.1% | National Forest 28.1% · Army Corps / reservoir 1.1% · Parks 0.8% | 1,035 | |
| Highland | 27.4% | National Forest 22.2% · State Game Lands / WMA 5.2% | 1,071 | |
| Rockingham | 25.7% | National Forest 25.7% · Parks 7.1% | 2,486 | |
| Botetourt | 25% | National Forest 24.9% · Parks 0.9% | 1,554 | |
| Rockbridge | 24.1% | National Forest 16.8% · State Game Lands / WMA 6.7% · Parks 1.1% | 1,652 | |
| Shenandoah | 23% | National Forest 22.9% | 1,412 | |
| Wythe | 22.1% | National Forest 19.6% · State Game Lands / WMA 2.5% | 1,242 | |
| Amherst | 18.7% | National Forest 18.7% · Parks 0.7% | 1,697 | |
| Wise | 14% | National Forest 14% · Army Corps / reservoir 1.1% | 926 | |
| Page | 13.8% | Parks 19.6% · National Forest 13.7% | 905 | |
| Grayson | 12.3% | National Forest 11.9% · Parks 1.9% | 1,477 | |
| Washington | 10.4% | National Forest 6.2% · State Game Lands / WMA 2.9% · State Forest 1.3% | 1,531 | |
| Scott | 9.9% | National Forest 9.9% | 1,523 | |
| Pulaski | 9.1% | National Forest 9.1% | 1,006 | |
| Cumberland | 8.6% | State Forest 8.6% | 1,095 | |
| Montgomery | 7.9% | National Forest 7.9% · Parks 0.6% | 1,347 | |
| Nelson | 7.6% | National Forest 6.8% · Parks 2.1% · State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 1,432 | |
| Norton | 6.1% | National Forest 6.1% | — | |
| Appomattox | 5.3% | State Forest 4.9% · Parks 1% | 745 | |
| Prince Edward | 5.1% | State Forest 3.1% · State Game Lands / WMA 2% · Parks 0.7% | 890 | |
| Warren | 4.9% | Parks 11.7% · National Forest 4.8% | 618 | |
| King and Queen | 4.6% | State Forest 4.6% | — | |
| Bedford | 4.5% | National Forest 4.2% · Parks 1.6% | 3,358 | |
| Tazewell | 4.3% | National Forest 3.1% · State Game Lands / WMA 1.2% | 1,210 | |
| Charles City | 4.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.2% | 521 | |
| Dickenson | 4.1% | National Forest 4.1% · Army Corps / reservoir 3.8% · Other public 1.4% | 733 | |
| Lee | 4% | National Forest 4% · Parks 3.7% | 847 | |
| Madison | 4% | Parks 15.9% · State Game Lands / WMA 4% | 837 | |
| Buckingham | 3.6% | State Forest 2.6% · State Game Lands / WMA 1% · Parks 0.5% | 1,380 | |
| Northampton | 3.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.5% · Other public 3.1% · Wildlife Refuge 1.3% | 498 | |
| Carroll | 3.3% | National Forest 2.3% · Parks 1.3% · State Game Lands / WMA 1% | 1,502 | |
| Powhatan | 2.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.7% · Parks 0.9% · Other public 0.5% | 904 | |
| New Kent | 2.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.3% · Other public 0.9% | 529 | |
| Russell | 2.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.1% · Parks 0.6% | 1,245 | |
| Chesapeake | 2% | Wildlife Refuge 22.7% · State Game Lands / WMA 2% · Other public 1.7% | 238 | |
| Fauquier | 2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2% · Parks 0.9% | 2,071 | |
| Frederick | 2% | National Forest 1.9% | 1,205 | |
| Accomack | 1.9% | Other public 5.4% · Parks 4.1% · Wildlife Refuge 3.2% | 1,210 | |
| Greene | 1.8% | Parks 15.8% · State Game Lands / WMA 1.8% | 472 | |
| Buena Vista | 1.7% | National Forest 1.7% | — | |
| Spotsylvania | 1.7% | Parks 3.6% · State Game Lands / WMA 1.7% | 793 | |
| Charlotte | 1.6% | State Forest 1.6% | 1,024 | |
| Caroline | 1.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% | 1,224 | |
| Patrick | 1.5% | Parks 2.5% · State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% | 1,005 | |
| Sussex | 1.5% | State Forest 0.8% · State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% · Parks 0.6% | 1,433 | |
| King William | 1.3% | State Forest 1.3% | 714 | |
| Surry | 1.2% | Parks 1.2% · State Game Lands / WMA 1.2% | 926 | |
| Pittsylvania | 1.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.1% | 2,664 | |
| Amelia | 1% | State Game Lands / WMA 1% | 1,232 | |
| Henry | 0.9% | Parks 1% · State Game Lands / WMA 0.9% | 1,005 | |
| Virginia Beach | 0.8% | Parks 5.2% · Wildlife Refuge 4.9% · State Game Lands / WMA 0.8% | 108 | |
| Fluvanna | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 841 | |
| Isle of Wight | 0.7% | Parks 1% · State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 966 | |
| Gloucester | 0.5% | Parks 0.8% · State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 447 | |
| King George | 0.4% | Parks 3.1% | 430 | |
| Lancaster | 0.4% | Parks 0.9% | 408 | |
| Mecklenburg | 0.4% | Parks 0.6% | 1,277 | |
| Covington | 0.3% | — | — | |
| Prince William | 0.3% | Parks 8.4% | 496 | |
| Newport News | 0.2% | — | — | |
| Campbell | 0.1% | — | 1,453 | |
| Culpeper | 0.1% | — | 1,193 | |
| Essex | 0.1% | Wildlife Refuge 0.6% | 565 | |
| James City | 0.1% | Parks 5.7% | 337 | |
| Nottoway | 0.1% | Other public 10.7% | 889 | |
| Orange | 0.1% | — | 836 | |
| Suffolk | 0.1% | Wildlife Refuge 13.4% · Parks 1.1% | 741 | |
| Waynesboro | 0.1% | — | — | |
| Albemarle | 0% | Parks 3.4% | 1,781 | |
| Alexandria | 0% | Parks 2.8% | — | |
| Arlington | 0% | Parks 4% | — | |
| Bristol | 0% | — | — | |
| Brunswick | 0% | Other public 1.8% | 1,222 | |
| Buchanan | 0% | — | 874 | |
| Charlottesville | 0% | — | — | |
| Chesterfield | 0% | Parks 2.9% · Wildlife Refuge 0.5% | 719 | |
| Clarke | 0% | Parks 2.4% · Other public 0.7% | 645 | |
| Colonial Heights | 0% | — | — | |
| Danville | 0% | — | — | |
| Dinwiddie | 0% | Other public 4% | 973 | |
| Emporia | 0% | — | — | |
| Fairfax | 0% | — | 476 | |
| Falls Church | 0% | — | — | |
| Floyd | 0% | Parks 2.4% | 1,338 | |
| Franklin | 0% | — | 1,981 | |
| Fredericksburg | 0% | Parks 1.8% | — | |
| Galax | 0% | — | — | |
| Goochland | 0% | — | 793 | |
| Greensville | 0% | — | 767 | |
| Halifax | 0% | Parks 2% | 1,948 | |
| Hampton | 0% | — | — | |
| Hanover | 0% | Parks 0.6% | 817 | |
| Harrisonburg | 0% | — | — | |
| Henrico | 0% | Parks 1.5% | 303 | |
| Hopewell | 0% | — | — | |
| Lexington | 0% | — | — | |
| Loudoun | 0% | Parks 0.5% | 1,679 | |
| Louisa | 0% | — | 1,236 | |
| Lunenburg | 0% | — | 868 | |
| Lynchburg | 0% | — | — | |
| Manassas | 0% | — | — | |
| Manassas Park | 0% | — | — | |
| Martinsville | 0% | — | — | |
| Mathews | 0% | — | 213 | |
| Middlesex | 0% | — | 288 | |
| Norfolk | 0% | — | — | |
| Northumberland | 0% | Parks 0.5% | 484 | |
| Petersburg | 0% | Parks 6.3% | — | |
| Poquoson | 0% | Wildlife Refuge 21.3% | — | |
| Portsmouth | 0% | — | — | |
| Prince George | 0% | Wildlife Refuge 2.6% | 689 | |
| Radford | 0% | — | — | |
| Rappahannock | 0% | Parks 18.3% | 795 | |
| Richmond | 0% | — | 473 | |
| Roanoke | 0% | Parks 1% | 721 | |
| Salem | 0% | — | — | |
| Southampton | 0% | — | 1,858 | |
| Stafford | 0% | Parks 2.5% | 441 | |
| Staunton | 0% | — | — | |
| Westmoreland | 0% | Parks 1.2% | 555 | |
| Williamsburg | 0% | Other public 13.3% · Parks 3.3% | — | |
| Winchester | 0% | — | — | |
| York | 0% | Parks 6% | 306 |
huntablePct = open public land (national forest + BLM + state game lands + state forest) as a share of the county; antlered = reported antlered-buck harvest 2024-25. Turkey = VDWR spring gobbler harvest by county/city (2026), reconciled to the published statewide total (24,105). National & state parks, military land, and permit-only refuges are computed but shown as the “mix,” not counted huntable; confirm the specific tract with the state agency.
Virginia — best of, ranked