Quail Hunting Season in Virginia: Dates, Limits, Licenses, and Where to Hunt

Quail hunting season in Virginia runs for nearly three months every winter, yet the bird itself is far scarcer than it used to be. According to Project Upland, the state’s peak bobwhite harvest was 1.2 million birds back in 1973, while a recent annual harvest was only about 12,000 wild quail.

That drop makes it more important to know the rules cold before you load a shotgun and turn the dog loose. This guide covers the dates, the bag limit, the licenses you need, the legal ways to hunt, shooting hours, and where you can hunt on public ground or at a preserve.

Virginia’s Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) writes the regulations, and the DWR small game page is the final word. Use this article to plan, then confirm the details there before opening day.

Quail Hunting Season Dates in Virginia

The statewide quail season is a long one. The DWR lists it as November 7 through January 31, and the season is shared with pheasant. For the 2026-27 season, that puts opening day in the first full weekend of November and closing day at the end of January 2027.

Important Note: Some third-party calendars list the 2026-27 opener as November 8 instead of November 7. HuntingSeason.com shows November 8, 2026 through January 31, 2027, while the DWR page shows November 7. Treat the DWR date as the legal one and check the current regulations digest before you head out.

One closure matters more than the calendar. According to the DWR, quail is closed on all public lands west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and, until further notice, on Flippo-Gentry WMA in Sussex County. That means a hunter in the Shenandoah Valley or southwest Virginia is looking at private land only.

A separate calendar applies to hunting preserves. Pen-raised game birds may be taken on licensed hunting preserves from September 1 through April 30, including Sundays, so preserves give you a much longer window than the wild-bird season.

Quail Species You Can Hunt in Virginia

Virginia has one huntable wild quail, the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). It is the only native quail in the state, and it is the bird the season dates and limits are written for.

Bobwhites live where open ground meets thick cover. As one Dive Bomb Industries regional write-up describes it, they favor young pine stands, overgrown clearcuts, weedy field borders, and regenerating farmland. Hunters willing to work early successional cover can still find coveys across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

On the outlook for 2026-27, Ultimate Upland rates Virginia’s bobwhite population as poor to fair. It points to southern and southeastern Virginia as the best prospects, where remaining agricultural and grassland habitat is concentrated.

Preserves also offer pen-raised quail, which are the same species but raised in captivity and released. Those birds follow preserve rules rather than the wild-bird season, which is covered later in this guide.

Quail Bag and Possession Limits in Virginia

The daily bag limit is six quail. The Virginia DWR lists quail at six per day, and Ultimate Upland reports a possession limit of 18 for the 2026-27 season, which is three times the daily limit.

Here is how the numbers stack up:

Limit Type	Quail
Daily bag limit	6
Possession limit	18
Statewide season	November 7 to January 31

Dog training counts against you. Project Upland notes that training a dog is considered hunting, so regular bag limits apply. If you plan to work a young pointer in the field, carry a license and keep your count.

Pen-raised birds are handled differently. You can release pen-raised quail on private land at any time with landowner permission, but those birds may only be shot during the regular quail season.

Licenses and Permits Required to Hunt Quail in Virginia

At minimum, you need a valid Virginia hunting license. Hunting Locator’s small game table lists the base hunting license as the required license for quail, and the same page tells hunters to verify fees against the DWR digest, since prices change.

Nonresidents have an extra option. The DWR says a nonresident needs either a nonresident hunting license or a special nonresident hunting (shooting) preserve license, which is valid only within the boundaries of licensed hunting preserves. If you only plan to shoot at a preserve, the preserve license can be the cheaper route.

You also need a hunter education card if your age or history requires one, and some public properties require an access permit. Our guide to hunting license requirements in Virginia walks through the license types, fees, and hunter education rules in detail.

Pro Tip: Buy your license before you train your dog on public land. Project Upland points out that you need a license to train dogs for bird hunting in Virginia, and training is only allowed on national forest or Department-managed land during authorized training seasons.

Planning a longer trip afield? Virginia hunters often pair quail with other seasons, such as dove hunting season in Virginia in the early fall and turkey hunting season in Virginia in the spring.

Legal Weapons and Methods for Quail Hunting in Virginia

Quail hunting in Virginia is a shotgun sport at heart, and dogs are central to how most people do it. The search results I reviewed do not spell out a full list of legal and illegal weapons for quail, so confirm the specifics for firearm type, shot size, and any restrictions in the DWR regulations digest.

What the sources do agree on is gear that works. A Dive Bomb Industries field guide calls a 20-gauge or 28-gauge shotgun ideal for close-range, fast-action quail hunting, and recommends brush pants, sturdy boots, and a bird vest.

Dog use depends on where you hunt. StateOutdoors.org notes that dogs are permitted for quail on private land with landowner permission, while public land dog use varies by location.

Methods That Produce Birds

• Work transition zones where grass meets cover, old homesteads, and field corners.
• Let the dog work into the wind, and move slowly and quietly.
• After a covey flush, circle back to find scattered singles, which can produce extra shots.
• Hunt early mornings and late afternoons, especially on cooler days.

Shooting Hours and Sunday Hunting Rules for Quail in Virginia

Shooting hours for small game generally run from half an hour before sunrise until sunset, according to the safety rules in the Hunting Locator guide. That page notes exceptions for certain species, such as some raccoon hunts, so check the DWR digest for anything that differs.

Sunday hunting is where Virginia has changed most in recent years. Hunting Locator reports that Sunday hunting is allowed statewide on private land with permission, except within 200 yards of a place of worship, and that public lands vary. That makes a Sunday on your own farm or a friend’s property a legitimate option, but a Sunday on a WMA needs a rules check first.

Important Note: Preserves are the simplest Sunday option. The DWR states that pen-raised birds may be taken on licensed hunting preserves from September 1 through April 30, including Sundays.

Quail Hunting on Public Land and Hunting Preserves in Virginia

Public land quail hunting in Virginia is limited and often tough. The statewide closure west of the Blue Ridge removes a large share of public acreage, and Flippo-Gentry WMA is closed as well. Hunting Locator adds that private leases or well-managed farmland often provide better success than public ground.

East of the Blue Ridge, some Department lands do offer opportunity. One 2026-27 season guide from AskHunting lists Big Woods WMA as a small game area with quail, turkey, and edge habitat in working pine country. Dog training grounds exist too: Project Upland says you may train dogs on the Amelia, Dick Cross, and portions of Chester F. Phelps areas from September 1 to the day before quail season.

Some public and Department lands run on restricted schedules. HuntingSeason.com lists a September 1 through March 9 window on National Forest and Department lands for Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only, so check the property you plan to use.

Hunting Preserves as an Alternative

Licensed preserves give you a long season, stocked birds, and Sunday hunting. War’s End Upland Preserve in Appomattox, about 15 minutes east of Lynchburg, offers guided hunts for quail, pheasant, chukar, woodcock, and grouse and is open to the public. Many other preserves around the state also hunt pheasants and other species alongside quail.

If you hunt deer or bear too, our season guides for deer hunting season in Virginia and bear hunting season in Virginia help you plan the rest of the fall around your quail trips.

Quail hunting in Virginia rewards hunters who do their homework. Know the November 7 to January 31 window, stay inside the six-bird daily limit, carry the right license, and plan around the public-land closure west of the Blue Ridge. For the final word on any rule, check the Virginia DWR regulations digest before you go.