Virginia publishes deer harvest in a form FDR could rank for 97 hunt units. Bedford is highest at 11.3 deer harvested per square mile in 2025. Cumberland has 9.1 in 2025 and Southampton has 8.6 in 2025. Harvest in a hunt unit includes private land, so the public share is shown next to each unit. The rankings describe reported harvest and do not measure access or hunting pressure.
KEY FINDINGS
- Bedford has the highest harvest per square mile at 11.3. The agency reported 8,626 deer on 486,474 acres in 2025.
- 97 hunt units are ranked. Ranks compare areas measured in 2025 and each row shows its own newest year.
- 24 federal areas are ranked on their own. Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 7A has the highest harvest per square mile at 9.6 in 2025.
Virginia public land rankings
Best public land in Virginia
Derived FDR figures from state agency numbers. Season measured 2025. Captured October 18, 2026. Harvest per square mile is the agency's deer harvest divided by the area's size. Success rate is the agency's published rate or harvest divided by hunters. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Order uses the unrounded values and tied values share a rank. Blank cells mean the agency did not publish the figure.
Download all ranked rows (CSV)
Hunt units
Top 15 of 97 ranked hunt units by deer harvest per square mile. Hunt units include private land, so the public share column shows how much of each unit is public land open to hunting.
15 of 97 hunt units shown
| 1 | Bedford | 486,474 | 2025 | 8,626 | 11.3 | 44.8 | 5.9% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Cumberland | 190,383 | 2025 | 2,702 | 9.1 | 26.0 | 8.7% |
| 3 | Southampton | 383,519 | 2025 | 5,129 | 8.6 | 0.3 | 0.0% |
| 4 | Amelia | 227,430 | 2025 | 2,995 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 0.9% |
| 5 | Lancaster | 85,328 | 2025 | 1,115 | 8.4 | 2.0 | 1.5% |
| 6 | Amherst | 303,335 | 2025 | 3,921 | 8.3 | 92.8 | 19.6% |
| 7 | Surry | 178,527 | 2025 | 2,295 | 8.2 | 5.7 | 2.0% |
| 8 | Grayson | 282,742 | 2025 | 3,605 | 8.2 | 62.7 | 14.2% |
| 9 | Clarke | 112,613 | 2025 | 1,434 | 8.1 | 4.4 | 2.5% |
| 10 | Powhatan | 166,530 | 2025 | 2,069 | 8.0 | 9.4 | 3.6% |
| 11 | Loudoun | 330,077 | 2025 | 4,079 | 7.9 | 2.1 | 0.4% |
| 12 | Culpeper | 242,668 | 2025 | 2,982 | 7.9 | 0.5 | 0.1% |
| 13 | Floyd | 243,788 | 2025 | 2,967 | 7.8 | 6.7 | 1.8% |
| 14 | Greensville | 189,041 | 2025 | 2,297 | 7.8 | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| 15 | Prince George | 169,819 | 2025 | 2,058 | 7.8 | 16.0 | 6.0% |
Federal areas
Top 15 of 24 ranked federal areas by deer harvest per square mile. Each row shows its own newest year.
15 of 24 federal areas shown
| 1 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 7A | Caroline County | 732 | 2025 | 11 | 9.6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), controlled area CA17 | Caroline County | 796 | 2025 | 10 | 8.0 |
| 3 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 28B | Caroline County | 1,102 | 2025 | 12 | 7.0 |
| 4 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 22B | Caroline County | 696 | 2025 | 7 | 6.4 |
| 5 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 15B | Caroline County | 872 | 2025 | 8 | 5.9 |
| 6 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 9B/MCB | Caroline County | 900 | 2025 | 8 | 5.7 |
| 7 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), controlled area CA01 | Caroline County | 694 | 2025 | 6 | 5.5 |
| 8 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 12B/MCD | Caroline County | 939 | 2025 | 8 | 5.5 |
| 9 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 16B | Caroline County | 743 | 2025 | 6 | 5.2 |
| 10 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 25A | Caroline County | 914 | 2025 | 7 | 4.9 |
| 11 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 6B | Caroline County | 803 | 2025 | 6 | 4.8 |
| 12 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 25B | Caroline County | 695 | 2025 | 5 | 4.6 |
| 13 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), controlled area CA07 | Caroline County | 730 | 2025 | 5 | 4.4 |
| 14 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 18C/MCF | Caroline County | 747 | 2025 | 4 | 3.4 |
| 15 | Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 22A | Caroline County | 1,133 | 2025 | 6 | 3.4 |
01Hunt units
97 hunt units ranked on harvest per square mile
Bedford has the most deer harvested per square mile at 11.3 in 2025. Cumberland has 9.1 in 2025 and Southampton has 8.6 in 2025.
The public share is the part of each unit that is public land open to hunting.
02Federal areas
24 federal areas ranked on harvest per square mile
Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 7A has the most deer harvested per square mile at 9.6 in 2025. Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), controlled area CA17 has 8.0 in 2025 and Fort Walker (Fort A.P. Hill), training area 28B has 7.0 in 2025.
03Basis of this report
Sources and method
FDR divided the agency's deer harvest by the area's size to get harvest per square mile. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Ranks compare areas measured in 2025 and each row shows its own newest year.
Success rate is the agency's published figure or harvest divided by hunters. Tied values share a rank and the order uses the unrounded values.
A ranking does not evaluate an individual property and does not confirm that it is open to hunting for you.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Derived FDR figures from state agency numbers. Season measured 2025. Captured October 18, 2026. Harvest per square mile is the agency's deer harvest divided by the area's size. Success rate is the agency's published rate or harvest divided by hunters. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Order uses the unrounded values and tied values share a rank. Blank cells mean the agency did not publish the figure.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. FDR rankings are independent analysis of state agency numbers. A ranking does not evaluate an individual property.
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