Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries was established on June 17, 1916, under the authority of the Commission of Fisheries, with M. D. "Mac" Hart appointed as Secretary of the Department. A statewide hunting license was introduced as a primary funding source, as the agency operated without financial support from the state treasury and remained self-sufficient. Prior to the department's creation, from 1903 to 1916, localities individually administered game wardens. In 1920, the first Virginia State Game Far—spanning 1,200 acres—was established at Windsor Shades in New Kent County. In 1923, Mrs. B. M. Miller and Mrs. C. E. Sykes were among the first women recognized as game wardens in Virginia. In 1926, the Department was separated from the Commission of Fisheries and reorganized as the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, chaired by A. Willis Robertson. In 1928, the Commission was granted sole authority to shorten hunting seasons, revoking the ability of local governments to set their own seasons. In 1982, Virginia game wardens were granted full law enforcement authority. In 1987, the agency’s name reverted to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. On July 1, 2020, the Department was renamed the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. ==Conservation police officers ==

The law enforcement officers of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources hold the title of conservation police officer. Conservation police officers enforce Virginia laws related to hunting, fishing, and boating. Their duties include patrolling by vehicle, aircraft, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), boats, and on foot, as well as investigating tips and complaints from the public. Virginia conservation police officers are also appointed as deputy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents, granting them the authority to investigate suspected federal wildlife law violations, including those that cross state lines. ==See also==