The 2026 Virginia elk quota hunt application period is open. Instructions on how to apply for the 2026 elk drawing can be found at https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/elk/hunting/elk-lottery/. The deadline to apply is midnight (EDT) on March 31.
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Virginia accepts online applications for the elk drawing. If you have questions about or need assistance with applying, call 804-367-1000. Virginia does not accept party applications for elk. Elk permits are not transferable to other individuals.
Successful applicants will be notified by May 30 and will have thirty days from notification to purchase their license and permit. Permits that are not purchased by the deadline will be awarded to alternate hunters drawn concurrently with the original winners. No more than one permit, or ten percent of available tags, may be issued to non-residents. A minimum of one permit or ten percent of available tags—whichever is greater—will be awarded to applicants whose primary residence lies within the Elk Management Zone.
The application fees must be paid for with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or a debit card. The drawing application costs $20 and is non-refundable.
Hunter education is required for hunters twelve to fifteen years of age. An apprentice hunting license can be purchased by a new hunter before successfully completing a hunter education course, allowing the new hunter to hunt with a mentor during the season. The apprentice hunter must be accompanied and directly supervised by a hunter possessing a valid Virginia hunting license who is an adult over the age of eighteen. The apprentice license is valid for two years
Only properly licensed youth who are ten years old or older may hunt big game. A youth may buy a license when they are nine years old to apply for a controlled hunt, but they must be ten years old at the time of the hunt.
Virginia does not have a preference or bonus point system.
In 2025, there were a total of 19,795 applicants for the five permits issued by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR). In 2024, there were a total of 19,764 applicants for the five permits issued by the VDWR. In 2023, there were 24,378 applicants. In 2022, there were 31,951 total applications for the inaugural hunt.
Youth can purchase a reduced-price hunting license if drawn, but no elk tags are set aside specifically for youth. There are also no reduced-price elk tags for youth. All non-resident elk tags will be $400.
The following firearms are considered legal weapons for hunting elk in Virginia: a .23 caliber or larger rifle, a .40 caliber or larger muzzleloader, a shotgun, or a .23 caliber or larger handgun that generates at least 350 foot-pounds of energy. For archers using a crossbow, longbow, recurve, or compound bow, there is no minimum draw weight, but you must hunt with a fixed blade or mechanical broadhead that has a cutting edge at least 7/8” wide. For more information about weapon restrictions, visit https://dwr.virginia.gov/hunting/regulations/legal-use-of-firearms-and-archery-tackle/.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources will issue one elk permit this year through their Conservation License Program. At the time of print, information on how to purchase a raffle ticket was not available. They expect it to be on their website shortly. South West Virginia Sportsmen received the raffle permit for 2025, and it has also been issued through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in years past. Regardless, the permit is issued to a non-profit organization each year to be raffled off, and proceeds earned from the raffle are then invested into habitat or wildlife management projects within the Elk Management Zone.
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Virginia uses electronic reporting. All deer, bear, turkey, elk, and bobcat hunters, including those hunters exempt from purchasing a license, must report their harvests. An elk harvest can be reported using either the VDWR’s online or telephone reporting systems. Those using the GoOutdoors app should note that the eNotch feature cannot be used to report elk harvests at this time. Reporting requirements are the same for both elk and deer; be sure to report elk as elk—even if you harvested the elk outside the Elk Management Zone on a deer permit. Successful elk hunters must also contact the VDWR to schedule a time for collection of biological samples. You can do so by calling 804-367-0044, but keep in mind that this number should only be used to arrange for tissue sample collection from a harvested elk. For more info, visit https://dwr.virginia.gov/hunting/game-harvest-reporting/.
The 2026 elk season will run from Saturday, October 10 through Friday, October 16. With the potential of 350”+ bulls, it is hard not to spend the $20 and apply for an elk tag. There will be a total of five tags available in the draw, and an additional tag will be raffled off through the VDWR’s Conservation License Program.
Between 2012 and 2014, seventy-five elk were successfully reintroduced to Virginia from Kentucky. Most of the elk are still close to the original restoration site in Buchanan County. Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise counties make up the Elk Management Zone, offering a good mix of timbered country that is perfect elk habitat. The elk herd has flourished, growing to over 250 individuals, and has plenty of mature bulls.
Most of the country in the Elk Restoration Zone is made up of reclaimed coal mine lands, almost all of which is private. The Virginia Department of Wildlife has many partnerships and agreements with private landowners in the Elk Management Zone that allow public access for elk hunting. Hunters will gather and meet up with the respective landowners who will help escort them through the properties.
With no preference or bonus point system, you have the same odds as anyone else applying. We expect drawing an elk tag in Virginia to have true lottery-style odds, but with just a $20 fee to apply and the temptation of 350” bulls, you can bet that all of us at Huntin’ Fool will have our names in the hat. Give us a call if you are lucky enough to draw a coveted Virginia elk tag.
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