Archery Hunting on Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico has approximately 7,600 acres of archery-only hunting area, with a total hunting area of about 47,000 acres. Quantico provides ample opportunities for archery hunters to hunt successfully. In recent history, Quantico archers tend to kill over 50% of the total deer harvest prior to deer gun season.
Authorized Archery tackle:
Longbows, Recurve bows, Compound bows, Crossbows and Pneumatic airbows*
*Pneumatic airbows are legal to use with a doctor's form indicating you are unable to use any of the other available archery tackle. When deer gun season opens up, airbows are legal for all to use in firearm areas ONLY.
Archery Qualification Test
In order to hunt the Mainside, OCS, and Camp Upshur training areas, you must pass an archery qualification test. The test consists of hitting 3 out of 4 arrows within a 6 inch circle on a deer target at 20 yards for compound bows, 30 yards for crossbows, from an elevated platform.
Archery qualifications are held every Tuesday,Thursday, and Saturday at 1200 in September and Tuesday & Thursday at 1200 in October.
All archers must first read through the safety brief (located in My Safety Briefs) on your iSportsman account, answer questions associated with the brief, and check-in to the archery site the day of our qualifications.
Early Archery Season on Quantico:
Early October - Mid November (see bulletin for specific dates)
Archery-only Training Areas:
Mainside, OCS, TDSA, And Camp Upshur, require an archery qualification test above.
The following archery-only areas do NOT require the archery qualification test: 6A, 5B, 5C, 7C, 8A, 8B, 17C. Please note, in ALL of our archery only areas, you must be shooting from an elevated position at least 8 feet off of the ground.
Firearm Training Areas:
All of the other training areas not listed above in the "Archery-only Training Areas" section are referred to as "Firearm Areas". On the hunting map, these are depicted as the light green training areas. During the early archery season, archers can utilize these areas throughout the early archery season described above. See the annual hunting bulletin for season dates and bag limits. Generally, when Virginia General Firearm opens up (mid-November), hunting in these firearm training areas is antlered only EXCEPT on designated either-sex hunting days. Again, please see the Annual Hunting Bulletin for the specifics.
Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP)
Each of Quantico's ARCHERY-ONLY training areas are part of VDWR's Deer Management Assistance Program. In these areas, hunters are allowed to harvest one (1) antlerless deer per day that does not count towards their base or state licenses. A second deer may be taken if and only if the hunter has not already reached their antlered/antlerless deer limit on base already. If you have questions, ask for clarification from GCS staff.
Archery Hunting and BLAZE COLOR:
East of I-95 (Mainside/OCS): Never required to wear blaze color
West of I-95: Early archery season: Not required
During general firearm: Archery-only areas: required to and from stand
Gun areas: required AT ALL TIMES