2025-26 bear, deer, turkey harvest data announced

RICHMOND, Va. — Wildlife biologists with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources have compiled harvest totals for the fall 2025–26 big game hunting seasons. The deer harvest increased while bear and turkey harvests declined from the previous season. According to DWR Wildlife Division Director Michael Lipford, "The big season changes we made for deer and bear management purposes influenced these results but were just one of several factors. Changes in hunter participation, natural food availability, and weather also impact big game harvests year to year." Harvest reporting by successful bear, deer, and turkey hunters remains a vital component of DWR's management programs as harvest data are used to monitor game populations and inform future regulatory decisions. Black Bear Hunters reported harvesting 2,344 bears in Virginia during the 2025–26 bear hunting season, which was approximately 13.3% lower than the previous year's harvest and 18.0% lower than the previous 5-year average (2020–2024). Statewide, a higher proportion of the 2025-26 season harvest consisted of female bears (41.3%) than the previous year (38.4%). When compared to 2024, the archery, youth/apprentice, and muzzleloader harvests declined 31.4%, 25.4% and 24.6%, respectively. Although there was significant regional variation, the general firearms harvest increased by 4.0% statewide (Table 1). Harvest during the 3-day early season, which was closed in 35 northwestern counties over the last several years, decreased by 45.3% from the previous season in the seven southwestern counties where it remained open. The decrease in the total bear harvest during 2025 is likely the result of several factors. A decrease in harvest was expected following significant season reductions across 24 counties where mange is of most concern, coupled with the closing of the 3-day early season in nine additional southwestern counties. Although the magnitude varied regionally, harvests declined by 33% from the previous year and 39% from the previous 3-year average in the mange impacted counties. While statewide there was an increase in female bear harvest, there was 37% decrease in the mange impacted counties compared to the previous season and a 43% decrease from the previous 3-year average. While the new management goal of harvesting 60-65% fewer female bears was not achieved across this whole area, the observed reductions were an important step in the right direction for population recovery. While harvests declined (as intended) in the mange impacted counties, increased harvests were reported elsewhere in the state, especially in the southern Piedmont. These can likely be attributed to hunter movements to areas where seasons had not been shortened and the extension of seasons in several bear management zones. Across all seasons in which hounds could be used, an estimated 68.9% of bears were taken by hunters using hounds; across all bear seasons, 46.6% of bears were taken with hounds. Season estimates for the proportion of bears harvested by hunters using hounds were as follows: 3-day early firearms season - 34.5%, firearms season - 69.8%, and youth/apprentice weekend - 76.2%. White-Tailed Deer 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. Wild Turkey A total of 1,022 wild turkeys were harvested in Virginia during the 2025-26 fall turkey hunting season, well below the 2024-25 season total of 1,423. This represents a 28% decline from the 2024-25 season and 38% below the previous 5-year average (2020 through 2024-25 seasons). The decline in fall turkey harvest noted over the past several seasons can likely be attributed most to declining hunter participation. DWR hunter survey data indicates that fall turkey hunter numbers have declined by approximately 64% since 2005 and that many turkey hunters are choosing to either hunt other species in the fall or are saving turkey tags for the more popular spring turkey season. Besides hunting participation, another important driver of fall hunting success is the annual reproductive success. In 2025, the productivity estimate (1.3 poults/hen) was far below the long-term average (2.6 poults/hen) and the lowest since the survey began in 2007. Decreased productivity was evident in all regions of the state, except for southwestern Virginia, where observed poult productivity was near the long-term average, thanks in part to a periodic cicada hatch in the coalfield counties. Since juvenile birds can account for 40-60% of the fall harvest, reproductive success greatly influences turkey populations available for fall harvest. The harvest declines from the previous season seemed to be most apparent during the October firearms segment (38%) and the Thanksgiving segment (33%), which has historically been the most heavily utilized portion of the fall turkey hunting season. The largest decreases came from changes in hen harvest, which declined approximately 42%. Adult gobbler harvest was also down approximately 20%, while juvenile male harvest was almost identical to the previous season. While all regions experienced a decrease in harvest, southwest Virginia observed the least significant decline (8%), which is likely due to improved reproduction in that region during the summer of 2025. In general, counties east of the Blue Ridge experienced greater declines in harvest than those west of the Blue Ridge. The majority of the harvest (94%) occurred on privately owned land.