Waterfowl GuideA distinct section of Charted Waters, for hunting rather than fishing. Looking for fishing instead? →
Always verify before leaving
Every fact on this site is a dated snapshot of research, not a live feed. This checklist links directly to the official current sources for the things that change most often — regulations, licenses, permits, weather, tides, and area closures — so you can confirm today's reality before you go, not just read what this guide found on its own last-checked date.
This guide does not display live or real-time data. Every season, closure, and requirement recorded on this site has its own dated last-checked/last-reviewed field — use the links below to confirm current conditions and rules directly with the official source before you hunt.
Regulations
- Current season dates and bag limits — Seasons, splits, and bag limits can change year to year — this guide's own seeded season records are dated and can go stale. DWR — Migratory Game Birds →
- Full current hunting digest — The single official regulation text covering every rule this guide summarizes. DWR — Hunting Regulations Hub →
- Federal migratory-bird framework — The federal rules Virginia's own season is built within, including possession and transport rules. USFWS — Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations →
Licenses & stamps
- Hunting license, HIP registration, and stamps — DWR's own online system — the only official way to confirm you're currently and correctly licensed for this exact hunt. DWR — Licenses →
- Federal Duck Stamp — Required separately from any state license or stamp, with no exemptions — see this guide's own Federal Duck Stamp requirement page. DWR — Federal Migratory Waterfowl E-Stamp →
Permits
- Refuge-specific hunt permits or brochures — Several refuges in this guide (Plum Tree Island NWR, Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR) require their own signed permit or brochure beyond state/federal licensing — check the specific refuge's own current page, not just this guide's summary. USFWS — Refuge Hunting Program →
- Tundra swan permit drawing status — Swan hunting is permit-only and drawing-based — confirm you actually hold a current permit before hunting, not just that you applied. DWR — Migratory Game Birds (swan permit section) →
Weather & tides
- Marine weather forecast — Small-craft advisories, wind, and wave conditions materially affect the safety of any boat-access hunt in this guide. NWS Wakefield — Chesapeake Bay & Hampton Roads Marine Forecast →
- Current tide predictions — Tide stage affects marsh/blind access and boat-launch safety at nearly every area this guide covers. NOAA Tides & Currents →
Area closures & notices
- Wildlife Management Area alerts and temporary closures — DWR posts real, dated temporary closures (nutria eradication, prescribed burns, construction) that this guide cannot track in real time — Hog Island WMA's own seeded record shows a real recent example. DWR — Wildlife Management Areas →
- This guide's own hunting-area pages — Each area page states its own access status, last-reviewed date, and closure notes, but is a snapshot from this project's own research, not a live feed. This guide — Public Hunting Areas →