See deer. Log deer.
Know the season.
A phone-first sighting log built for Virginia — every buck, doe and fawn you spot, pinned by county, with the 2026–27 season framework riding along.
Deer by the road? Drop an alert pin
Driving past deer on the shoulder? One tap drops a blaze-orange alert pin at your exact GPS spot on the map below — the stretch where drivers need to slow down. When the shared statewide log is connected, your pin posts to the shared database and shows on other drivers' phones too; until then it stays on this device for this visit.
Opening from Facebook? Location sharing works best in your real browser — tap ⋮ (or …) and choose “Open in Chrome/Safari”, or use the form below.
Only tap when you're stopped — or let a passenger do it.
While this app is open, get a spoken warning when a fresh deer-on-the-road alert is posted near you.
🚗 Driving in Deer Country
- Slow down from dusk to dawn — that's when deer move most. Scan ditch to ditch, not just the road ahead.
- Use high beams whenever there's no oncoming traffic; watch for eye shine at the roadside.
- If you see one deer, expect more — they rarely travel alone, and a buck may be chasing right behind.
- Deer frozen in your headlights? Slow down and flash your lights — a steady beam can mesmerize them.
- If a deer jumps out: brake firmly and stay in your lane. Never swerve — a crash with another car or a tree is almost always worse.
- Skip the deer whistle. Studies show they don't prevent collisions — your eyes and your speed are what work.
- After a crash: pull off the road, hazards on, don't approach an injured deer, and call police if it's blocking traffic.
Spot a deer
Thirty seconds in the stand, truck, or backyard. When the shared database is connected, your entry posts statewide for every hunter to see; otherwise it stays on this device for this visit.
Your sightings
Newest first. Numbered pins on the map match the numbers here.
Community-checked: tap Report on anything that looks fake — 3 reports hide it automatically.
Nothing logged yet this visit.
Your first sighting shows up here — with a pin on the map if you set one.
Deer on the road Deer sighting
No hotspots yet — places with 3+ reports in 6 months get marked as deer-crossing hotspots.
Map tiles couldn't load here — your pinned sightings are still listed above with their coordinates.
Support DeerSpotter VA
Statewide sightings, season dates and roadside alerts are free for every Virginia hunter. Premium members and one-time supporters chip in to help keep it that way.
DeerSpotter VA Premium
Premium is a monthly subscription that supports DeerSpotter VA and helps keep statewide sightings, seasons info and roadside alerts free for everyone. Cancel anytime.
Go PremiumOpens secure Stripe checkout in a new tab.
Supporter Contribution
Pay what you want — $3 minimum. A one-time contribution, no subscription, that helps cover the cost of keeping DeerSpotter VA running and free for everyone.
ContributeOpens secure Stripe checkout in a new tab.
📱 Put DeerSpotter on your home screen
One tap to open it like an app — handy when a deer steps out.
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
2026–27 Virginia deer seasons
The statewide framework from the Virginia DWR — status for today updates itself. County either-sex days, WMA seasons and local rules stack on top of these dates, so confirm your exact spot in the official guide before you hunt.
Season framework
| Season | Dates | Status | Notes |
|---|
Bag limits & rules to know
- East of the Blue Ridge: 2 deer per day, 6 per license year, no more than 3 antlered.
- West of the Blue Ridge (and on National Forest land in Amherst, Bedford, and Nelson): 2 per day, 5 per year, no more than 2 antlered.
- National Forest & DWR lands: 1 deer per day.
- Legal hours: ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset.
- Sundays: hunting is allowed, except within 200 yards of a house of worship — and deer may not be hunted with dogs on Sunday.
- Baiting is illegal statewide, and feeding deer is banned Sept. 1 through the first Saturday in January.
Field notes
- The rut: Virginia's peak breeding runs around mid-November — roughly Nov 17 — right as General Firearms opens. Bucks move at midday then, not just dawn and dusk.
- Best hours: the first and last hour of legal light, all season long. Log the time on every sighting and your own pattern shows up in a few weeks.
- Report a harvest: check your deer through GoOutdoorsVA or by phone at 866-468-4263 — required before the deer is moved in most cases.
- Either-sex days vary by county — some counties are bucks-only outside listed either-sex days. The DWR guide's county pages are the final word.
Put your shop in front of Virginia deer hunters
VA Deer Spotter is where Virginia hunters check season dates and log what they're seeing — on their phones, from the stand, the truck and the processor's parking lot. Sponsorships are sold direct: one local business per slot, paid up front, no ad network in the middle.
Who this reaches
Licensed Virginia deer hunters across all 95 counties — heaviest traffic October through January, when archery, muzzleloader and firearms seasons stack up and the rut peaks.
Who should buy
Taxidermists, deer processors, feed & seed stores, outfitters, bow and gun shops, and realtors with hunting land to move — the businesses hunters already spend with every fall.
Why direct beats an ad network
Google's ad rules restrict firearms, ammunition and optics advertising — exactly the shops hunters need most. A direct sponsorship has no such filter: if your business serves Virginia hunters legally, it can run here.
The rate card
Three slots, one sponsor each — when a slot is sold, it's off the market until the term ends. Prices are the founding rates for the 2026–27 season.
County Sponsor
- Your business featured for one Virginia county — shown to hunters logging and browsing that county
- Logo or photo, a one-line offer, and a tap-to-call / directions link
- Best for: the processor, taxidermist or feed store a county's hunters already drive past
- Month-to-month — pause or cancel anytime
Home Banner
- The banner at the top of the Spotter page — the first thing every visitor sees, like the sponsor slot on the home page right now
- Logo or photo, headline, offer line, and a link to your site or Facebook page
- Site-wide, all counties, all season long
- Best for: outfitters, larger shops, and land realtors working a whole region
- Month-to-month — pause or cancel anytime
Season Sponsor
- Top strip on the Seasons & Rules page — the page hunters open before every hunt
- Locked for the whole run: Early Archery through the late seasons, including the mid-November rut
- One flat payment for all four months — no monthly billing
- Best for: the business that wants its name on the whole 2026–27 season
Not a business? Support the site as a Premium member or one-time Supporter →
How sponsorship works
- Pick a slot and email your inquiryUse the form below — it writes the inquiry and opens it in your email app addressed to jaret97@gmail.com — or just email that address directly with the business, the slot, and the county if you're sponsoring one. First come, first served — one sponsor per slot.
- Get your payment link by email replyYou'll get a reply from jaret97@gmail.com with a Stripe checkout link for your slot — secure card payment, no Stripe account needed. A $99 sponsorship is $99; Stripe's processing fee comes out of our side. Never send card details by email — payment only happens on the Stripe page.
- Pay — your slot is reserved when payment clearsPay the Stripe link and reply to the same email thread with your logo or shop photo, one headline, one offer line, and one link. We build the ad for you — no design work on your end.
- Your ad runsLive within two business days of payment and artwork, through the end of the term you paid for.
Sponsorship inquiry
Fill this in and it writes the inquiry for you, ready to email to jaret97@gmail.com. Tap “Email this inquiry” and it opens in your email app with everything filled in — or copy / download it instead. Payment is only ever by the Stripe link replied to you from that address.
The email button opens your own email app addressed to jaret97@gmail.com — nothing is sent until you press send there. No email app? Copy the text above and email it to jaret97@gmail.com from any account.
Disclaimer
VA Deer Spotter is an independent, community-run website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) or any government agency. Season dates, bag limits, and rules shown here are plain-language summaries for convenience only and may be incomplete or out of date — always confirm the current official regulations with Virginia DWR before hunting.
Sightings and roadside alerts are submitted by members of the public and are not verified. They may be inaccurate, delayed, or false, and are never a guarantee that deer are — or are not — in an area. Never rely on this site for driving safety, navigation, or hunting decisions, and never use it while driving; pull over safely first.
All information is provided "as is," without warranties of any kind. Hunting and outdoor activities involve inherent risks. You are responsible for knowing and following all applicable laws and regulations, and for obtaining landowner permission before entering private land. To the fullest extent permitted by Virginia law, the site's operator is not liable for any loss, injury, or damage arising from the use of, or reliance on, this site or its content. Nothing in this disclaimer limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
Reports are user-submitted content; we may remove any report at any time. Sponsors and advertisers are independent businesses, and a listing is not an endorsement. Questions or concerns: jaret97@gmail.com.
Last updated October 24, 2026.