The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) is taking the COVID-19 virus very seriously and wants to make sure our staff and constituents are taking all necessary precautions. We want the outdoors to be a place of escape for the public during this time, and it will take all of us working together to make sure that this can be done in a safe manner.
DGIF encourages everyone in the Commonwealth to utilize the online option, gooutdoorsvirginia.com for all of your licensing and registration needs. Hunters, anglers, boaters and wildlife enthusiasts can do most transactions online.
Among the updates recently released are:
All DGIF offices and fish hatcheries are operational, but closed for walk in traffic until further notice. DGIF offices;
DGIF has not canceled any hunting seasons or fishing opportunities. Everyone hunting and fishing in Virginia MUST have a license and follow all rules and regulations. For more information on turkey season and other open seasons, visit our website.
Trout stocking will continue. However, the following changes have been made to the 2020 Trout Stocking Program:
To alleviate the overcrowding at trout stocking sites, as of April 3, the department will no longer update trout stockings on the website or the trout line. All stockings are still planned to occur. We encourage you to continue to get outdoors and abide by the Governor’s orders of social distancing. For more information, visit: dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/troutstocking-schedule/
( Stockings for Urban Program Waters and the Youth-Only Stocked Trout Program will be rescheduled and will no longer be pre-announced. All waters will still receive their full allotment of trout stockings for the season. Additionally, trout stockings at the Department’s three Fee Fishing Areas (Clinch Mountain, Crooked Creek, and Douthat Lake) will not begin in early April as planned. Stockings at the Fee Areas will resume as soon as advisable. Information can be found dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/trout-stocking-schedule/ or by calling the Trout Line at 434-525-3474.
( All in-person Hunter Ed classes have been postponed until at least after April 14 but are still available online. Kalkomey, the provider of hunter-ed.com, has donated 1000 courses to ensure students have the option for online education while at home. To obtain the complementary hunter education certificate, go to hunter-ed.com/virginia and use the code G1VirginiaHE2020.
The following event changes have been made: ( The Merrimac Farm WMA Bluebell Festival scheduled for April 11 has been canceled. Visitors may still enter the WMA to view the Virginia Bluebells found throughout the Cedar Run floodplain. Fishing Tournaments: ( DGIF does not issue permits regulating fishing tournaments in Virginia, and so the agency’s approval is not required for them to be held under normal circumstances. However, Governor Northam’s Executive Order #55 prohibits gatherings of 10 or more individuals and permits only those outdoor recreation activities that comply with social distancing requirements. Given the difficulty in maintaining appropriate social distancing during a fishing tournament, we strongly recommend that organizations and clubs cancel all fishing tournaments until the current stay at home order is lifted, regardless of the number of participants. Law enforcement will enforce social distance requirements when necessary.
DGIF’s Wildlife Management Areas remain open.
If you are heading out of state to hunt or fish, check with those states to make sure there are no restrictions. Some states have banned out of state hunting and fishing. If you are stuck indoors, you can always look at DGIF’s Shad Cam or, if you want some entertainment, watch the Falcon Cam.
DGIF will keep working diligently with other agencies to make sure we do our part to help prevent the spread of the virus. If you have any questions regarding DGIF services or activities, please give them a call (804-367- 1000) and they will help with your needs as best they can.
