Virginia · Squirrel · 2026–27 Edition
Virginia Squirrel Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Gray and red squirrel — fall season | Statewide | Sep 5 – Feb 28 |
| Fox squirrel — fall season | 44 named counties (all counties west of the Blue Ridge, plus Albemarle, Bedford, Culpeper, Fauquier, Franklin, Greene, Henry, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Patrick, Prince William and Rappahannock — see source note for the full list) | Sep 5 – Jan 31 |
| Gray and red squirrel — spring season | Statewide, except national forest lands | Jun 5 – Jun 19 |
| Fox squirrel — spring season | Same 44 fox-squirrel counties as the fall season, except national forest lands | Jun 5 – Jun 19 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily, statewide | 6 — gray, red and fox squirrel combined; no possession limit found beyond the daily aggregate |
|---|
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 5, 2026) 06:19 — 20:07
Rule: One half-hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset — DWR states this once for 'nonmigratory birds and game animals', which covers squirrel. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Virginia sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in Virginia need a Virginia hunting license.
Virginia hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Virginia — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in Virginia?
The 2026–27 opener is September 5, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in Virginia?
The 2026–27 closing date is June 19, 2027.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in Virginia?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in Virginia per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily, statewide — 6 — gray, red and fox squirrel combined; no possession limit found beyond the daily aggregate. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting squirrel in Virginia?
On opening day (September 5, 2026) legal light runs 06:19 to 20:07. The rule is: One half-hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset — DWR states this once for 'nonmigratory birds and game animals', which covers squirrel. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Virginia sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt squirrels on my own land in Virginia without a license?
Virginia landowners — resident or nonresident — plus their spouse, children, grandchildren, and parents, may hunt, trap, and fish without a license anywhere within their own land's boundaries. That covers the base license, bear, deer/turkey, archery, muzzleloading, trapping, and the state waterfowl stamp. Tenants living on the land get the same right with the landlord's written consent; the federal Duck Stamp and HIP registration still apply.
Verified · Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Read section-by-section directly from Virginia's own codified Administrative Code (law.lis.virginia.gov, Virginia's official legislative-information site — chapter 4VAC15-230, 'Game: Squirrel'), cross-checked against dwr.virginia.gov/hunting/regulations/smallgame/. Virginia genuinely runs two separate open windows within the season, confirmed as suspected: 4VAC15-230-20 sets a fall gray-and-red-squirrel season 'from the first Saturday in September through the last day in February' (2026-09-05 through 2027-02-28); 4VAC15-230-21 adds a spring gray-and-red season 'from the first Saturday in June through the third Saturday in June... except on national forest lands' (2027-06-05 through 2027-06-19). Fox squirrel runs on a narrower footprint, also confirmed as suspected: 4VAC15-230-60 opens fox squirrel 'from the first Saturday in September through January 31' (2026-09-05 through 2027-01-31) in a named list of 44 counties (not the ~42 estimated going in) — Albemarle, Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Dickenson, Fauquier, Floyd, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Greene, Henry, Highland, Lee, Loudoun, Madison, Montgomery, Orange, Page, Patrick, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Warren, Wise, and Wythe — and 4VAC15-230-61 extends fox squirrel to the same first-Saturday-through-third-Saturday-in-June spring window on those same counties' lands, again excluding national forest land. Bag limit comes from 4VAC15-230-90: 'The combined bag limit for all squirrels shall be six a day in the aggregate' (gray, red and fox combined) — no separate possession limit is set anywhere in the chapter, so none is stated here.