About Us

When VHEA’s by-laws were defined at the time of incorporation as a 501(c)3 organization, 5 Regions of representation were defined consistent with those of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. In 2010 when VDGIF’s Regions 4 and 5 were combined into a single Region 4, VHEA Board Members voted to keep its regions as originally established in lieu of a re-organization which would require changing and filing new by-laws with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. The lists and map below detail the 5 VHEA regions.

Region 1

Region 2

Region 3

Region 4

Region 5

Accomack

Amelia

Bland

Alleghany

Albemarle

Charles City

Amherst

Buchanan

Augusta

Caroline

Essex

Appomattox

Carroll

Bath

Chesterfield

Gloucester

Bedford

Craig

Clarke

Culpeper

Greensville

Botetourt

Dickenson

Frederick

Fairfax

Isle of Wight

Brunswick

Floyd

Highland

Fauquier

James City

Buckingham

Giles

Page

Fluvanna

King George

Campbell

Grayson

Rockbridge

Goochland

King & Queen

Charlotte

Lee

Rockingham

Greene

King William

Cumberland

Montgomery

Shenandoah

Hanover

Lancaster

Dinwiddie

Pulaski

Warren

Henrico

Mathews

Franklin

Russell

Loudoun

Middlesex

Halifax

Scott

Louisa

New Kent

Lunenburg

Smyth

Madison

Northampton

Mecklenburg

Tazewell

Orange

Northumberland

Nelson

Washington

Powhatan

Prince George

Nottoway

Wise

Prince William

Richmond

Patrick

Wythe

Rappahannock

Southampton

Pittsylvania

Spotsylvania

Surry

Prince Edward

Stafford

Sussex

Roanoke

Cities of Charlottesville and Richmond

Westmoreland

Cities of Petersburg and Roanoke

York

Cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Suffolk and Virginia Beach

The Virginia Hunter Education Association was officially organized in April of 2007 by a core group of volunteer hunter education instructors from across Virginia. We are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with the primary goal of improving hunter education in Virginia.

There are over 750 instructors in Virginia teaching hunter education in every county throughout the state. They are your neighbors and friends who have a strong desire to pass the hunting heritage to the next generation of hunters. They volunteer their time and knowledge to reach this goal. Each year about 14,000 students come through these classes. A program milestone was reached in 2007 when the number of Virginia Hunter Education Graduated students exceeded half-a-million. The cooperation between 160 Conservation Police Officers and the 750 volunteer instructors has made this a successful program.

Today there are many other activities that compete for our time and attention. On July 1, 2013, the VDGIF unveiled a new shorter, more interactive course that requires 6–8 classroom hours with interactive activities and hands-on exercises. This new curriculum requires students to complete several hours of self-study prior to the class which can be completed on-line or through the purchase of printed material. And, on October 1, 2013, a new "full-online" adult hunter education course limited to Virginia residents 18 years of age or older was implemented.

The Virginia Hunter Education Association is working in unison with The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to provide hunter education to the citizens of Virginia. Our goal in forming this association is to improve our abilities as instructors through training, equipment to aid in teaching our classes, and, as time changes, to keep Virginia’s hunter education program at the forefront in the field.

Looking to the future, it is our desire to promote hunting to the next generation of hunters. We are teaching firearm safety, wildlife management, and ethical behavior to these new hunters as they enter our ranks. Together may we continue the hunting heritage in Virginia.