Crossbow Hunting Laws by State
Crossbows are legal for every hunter in archery season in 29 states. 5 more allow them with county, unit or permit limits. In 16 states, mostly in the West, archery-season use needs a disability permit. Find your state below. Each row links to the agency rule, checked October 9, 2026.
| Status | States | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Legal for all | Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming | 29 |
| Legal with limits | Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Texas, West Virginia | 5 |
| Permit or gun season only | Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington | 16 |
This page covers the question most new crossbow owners ask first: can I take it into the woods during archery season? It does not cover season dates, tag quotas or hunter education rules in full. Those live in your state's regulations book, which is the link in your row.
All 50 states: crossbow rules during archery season
| State | Status | What the rule says | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters for the whole archery deer season. Minimum 85 lb peak draw and a working safety. Turkey hunting with a crossbow is not allowed. | Alabama DCNR, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries 2025-26 regulations book |
| Alaska | Permit or gun season only | Not allowed in bow-and-arrow-only hunts. Legal in hunts that are not archery-restricted. Hunters born on or after Jan 1, 1986 need crossbow education certification for big game. | Alaska Department of Fish and Game Current agency page |
| Arizona | Permit or gun season only | Not legal in archery-only seasons for general hunters. Archery-season use needs a disability-based CHAMP permit, which replaced the old crossbow permit from July 1, 2026. Legal in general seasons. | Arizona Game and Fish Department Rule change effective July 1, 2026 |
| Arkansas | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters during archery deer season, no special permit. Minimum 125 lb pull and a mechanical safety. Scopes allowed. | Arkansas Game and Fish Commission 2025-26 guidebook |
| California | Permit or gun season only | Crossbows count as firearms, not archery gear. Not legal in archery-only seasons except with a Disabled Archer Permit. Legal in general firearm seasons. | California Department of Fish and Wildlife · rule text 14 CCR 354, current text |
| Colorado | Permit or gun season only | Not legal for able-bodied hunters in archery-only big game seasons. Legal in rifle seasons. Hunters with a CPW hunting accommodation permit may use one in archery season. | Colorado Parks and Wildlife Approved November 2025 |
| Connecticut | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in archery deer and turkey seasons. Minimum 125 lb draw, fixed stock with mechanical safety, 18 in minimum bolt. Bowhunting course required for the archery permit. | Connecticut DEEP 2026 guide |
| Delaware | Legal for all | Legal in all deer seasons, including the statewide archery/crossbow season, for all hunters. Minimum 125 lb pull and a mechanical safety. No cocked crossbow in a vehicle. | Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Administrative Code, current text |
| Florida | Legal with limits | Own statewide crossbow season, open to any hunter with a crossbow season permit. On most Wildlife Management Areas, archery-season crossbow use needs a disability permit. | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Current agency FAQ |
| Georgia | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters throughout the archery deer season. | Georgia DNR, Wildlife Resources Division 2026-27 season |
| Hawaii | Permit or gun season only | Not legal for general hunters. Only holders of a DLNR disability permit may hunt game mammals with a crossbow. | Hawaii DLNR, Division of Forestry and Wildlife Current agency page |
| Idaho | Permit or gun season only | Not legal in archery-only seasons except with a disability permit. Legal for all in short-range weapon seasons (150 lb minimum) and any-weapon seasons. | Idaho Department of Fish and Game · rule text 2026 big game seasons and rules |
| Illinois | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters for the whole archery deer season since 2017. Minimum 125 lb draw. | Illinois DNR 2026-27 digest |
| Indiana | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters for the whole archery deer season with an archery license. No separate crossbow permit. | Indiana DNR Current agency page |
| Iowa | Permit or gun season only | Not legal for general bowhunters in the regular bow season. Allowed with a disability permit, and residents 65+ can get an antlerless crossbow license. Legal for all in late muzzleloader and January antlerless seasons. | Iowa DNR 2026-27 regulations |
| Kansas | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in archery deer season, treated as standard archery equipment. | Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks 2026-27 regulations summary |
| Kentucky | Legal for all | Own crossbow season open to all hunters (Sept 19, 2026 - Jan 18, 2027), plus an earlier youth/senior crossbow season. Archery-only season use needs a disability exemption. | Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources 2026-27 guide |
| Louisiana | Legal for all | Legal for all licensed hunters in archery deer season, treated like any other bow. | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 2026-27 regulations |
| Maine | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters with a standard archery license since 2024, in expanded and regular archery seasons. Not legal during muzzleloader season. | Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife 2026-27 lawbook |
| Maryland | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters for the whole archery deer season in every county with an archery stamp. Not allowed in the separate February deer season dates. | Maryland DNR 2026-27 season |
| Massachusetts | Permit or gun season only | Not legal for general use in archery season. Only hunters with a disability crossbow permit may use one. A bill to change this was pending in 2026. The agency site could not be read directly on October 9, 2026. Confirm with the agency before you hunt. | MassWildlife Current agency page |
| Michigan | Legal with limits | Legal for all hunters in both Lower Peninsula archery segments. Upper Peninsula late archery needs a disability permit, opened to resident seniors from Sept 12, 2026. The agency site could not be read directly on October 9, 2026. Confirm with the agency before you hunt. | Michigan DNR 2026 deer regulations summary |
| Minnesota | Legal for all | Legal for all licensed archery hunters in archery season. The 2026 legislature made this permanent. | Minnesota DNR · rule text Law effective May 6, 2026 |
| Mississippi | Legal for all | Standard archery equipment, legal for any licensed hunter in archery season. No separate crossbow permit. | Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Current agency page |
| Missouri | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in the whole archery deer season with an archer's permit, and in firearms season. Standard method since 2016. | Missouri Department of Conservation 2026-27 season |
| Montana | Permit or gun season only | Not legal archery equipment in archery-only season except with a disability accommodation permit. Legal for all in general rifle season. The agency site could not be read directly on October 9, 2026. Confirm with the agency before you hunt. | Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 2025 regulations |
| Nebraska | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in archery season for big game. Shoulder-fired, non-electronic, minimum 125 lb draw. The agency site could not be read directly on October 9, 2026. Confirm with the agency before you hunt. | Nebraska Game and Parks Current big game guide |
| Nevada | Permit or gun season only | Not legal in archery-only hunts except with an Archery Disability Permit. Legal for big game only in any-legal-weapon hunts. | Nevada Department of Wildlife Current agency page |
| New Hampshire | Legal with limits | Legal in archery season for any archery license holder since Sept 1, 2025, but only in 12 units: D2W, G1, G2, H1, H2, I1, I2, J1, J2, K, L, M. | New Hampshire Fish and Game Effective Sept 1, 2025 |
| New Jersey | Legal for all | Legal for all licensed archers in fall, permit and winter bow seasons. Minimum 75 lb draw, 25 in stock, working safety. | NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife · rule text N.J.A.C. 7:25-5.24, current text |
| New Mexico | Permit or gun season only | Not legal in bow-only hunts except with a Mobility-Impaired card or accommodation permit. Legal without a permit on any-legal-sporting-arm and muzzleloader-crossbow-or-bow hunt codes. | New Mexico Department of Game and Fish 2026-27 rules |
| New York | Legal for all | Since fall 2025, legal for all hunters 14+ in the same seasons as a vertical bow for deer and bear, with a bowhunting privilege. Ages 12-13 only in counties that opted in. | New York DEC Current agency page |
| North Carolina | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in archery and other open seasons. Minimum 100 lb pull for big game, broadhead at least 7/8 in wide. | NC Wildlife Resources Commission 2026-27 regulations |
| North Dakota | Permit or gun season only | Not legal in archery deer season except with a special permit for blind, paraplegic or arm-impaired hunters. Legal for any deer gun license holder in gun season. | North Dakota Game and Fish 2026-27 deer proclamation |
| Ohio | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in archery deer season. Minimum 75 lb draw, 25 in stock, working safety. | Ohio DNR, Division of Wildlife 2026-27 regulations |
| Oklahoma | Legal for all | Legal for all licensed hunters in archery deer season. Minimum 100 lb draw, 14 in bolts, broadheads at least 7/8 in wide. | Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Current regulations |
| Oregon | Permit or gun season only | Not legal for general archery big game hunting. Only holders of an ODFW disability crossbow permit may use one. | Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · rule text OAR 635-065-0725, current text |
| Pennsylvania | Legal for all | Legal for all licensed hunters in archery season, crossbow 125-200 lb draw. Also legal in firearms deer season statewide. | Pennsylvania Game Commission 2025-26 digest |
| Rhode Island | Legal for all | Legal archery equipment for all hunters in archery deer season. Minimum 125 lb draw and a bowhunter education course. | Rhode Island DEM, Fish and Wildlife · rule text 250-RICR-60-00-9.7, effective Aug 8, 2024 |
| South Carolina | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters statewide in archery, primitive weapons and gun seasons for deer, bear and turkey. | South Carolina DNR 2026-27 guide |
| South Dakota | Permit or gun season only | Not legal for general archery hunters. Archery use needs a disability crossbow/draw-lock permit. Any firearm big game license holder may use a crossbow in firearm season. | South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks 2026 big game regulations |
| Tennessee | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in archery season for deer, bear, elk and turkey. Crossbows are in the same archery equipment category as other bows. | Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Proclamation 26-06, April 2026 |
| Texas | Legal with limits | Legal for any hunter in archery-only season statewide, except Collin, Dallas, Grayson and Rockwall counties, where archery-season use needs a certified upper-limb disability. | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 2026-27 Outdoor Annual |
| Utah | Permit or gun season only | Not legal in big game archery hunts. Allowed on any-legal-weapon permits or with a disability accommodation. | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 2026 field regulations |
| Vermont | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in any bow season, including archery deer, since 2020. Same archery license as a vertical bow. | Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department 2025 deer season guide |
| Virginia | Legal for all | Legal for all hunters in early and late archery deer seasons, listed as archery tackle. | Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources 2025-26 regulations |
| Washington | Permit or gun season only | Not legal in archery season except with a disability special use permit. Legal in modern firearm and muzzleloader seasons. | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 2026 seasons, valid Apr 1, 2026 - Mar 31, 2027 |
| West Virginia | Legal with limits | Legal for all hunters in the combined archery and crossbow season, except Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties, where it needs a Class Y/YY permit. | West Virginia DNR 2025-26 regulations |
| Wisconsin | Legal for all | Legal for any hunter in the archery/crossbow deer season with a crossbow license, separate from the archery license. An upgrade covers both. | Wisconsin DNR · rule text Fall 2025 - spring 2026 regulations |
| Wyoming | Legal for all | Legal archery equipment for all hunters in special archery seasons. Minimum 90 lb peak draw, 16 in bolt with a legal broadhead. | Wyoming Game and Fish Department Chapter 32, dated Jan 15, 2020, still in force |
What the three statuses mean
Legal for all means any hunter with the normal archery license or stamp can carry a crossbow for the whole archery season. Most of these states treat the crossbow as one more type of bow, with its own equipment minimums.
Legal with limits means the answer depends on where you hunt. Texas and West Virginia each close crossbows in four counties. New Hampshire opens them only in 12 management units. Florida runs its own crossbow season but restricts it on most Wildlife Management Areas. Michigan splits the rule between the Lower and Upper Peninsula.
Permit or gun season only means a standard archery tag does not cover a crossbow. You need a disability permit for archery season, or you hunt with the crossbow during a rifle, muzzleloader or any-weapon season instead. If you live in one of these states, that changes the crossbow vs compound bow decision more than any spec sheet.
Equipment minimums that states set
Legal status is only half of it. Many states also set a floor for draw weight, bolt length or broadhead width. These are the minimums we found in the sources above.
| State | Draw weight | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 85 lb peak | Working safety |
| Arkansas | 125 lb | Mechanical safety |
| Connecticut | 125 lb | Fixed stock, mechanical safety, 18 in bolt |
| Delaware | 125 lb | Mechanical safety |
| Idaho | 150 lb | Short-range weapon seasons |
| Illinois | 125 lb | - |
| Nebraska | 125 lb | Shoulder-fired, non-electronic |
| New Jersey | 75 lb | 25 in stock, working safety |
| North Carolina | 100 lb | Broadhead at least 7/8 in wide |
| Ohio | 75 lb | 25 in stock, working safety |
| Oklahoma | 100 lb | 14 in bolt, broadhead at least 7/8 in wide |
| Pennsylvania | 125-200 lb | - |
| Rhode Island | 125 lb | Bowhunter education course |
| Wyoming | 90 lb peak | 16 in bolt, legal broadhead |
Every bow in our best crossbow for deer hunting guide draws 150 lb or more, which clears every draw-weight floor here. Broadhead width is the rule people miss most often. Our crossbow broadhead guide lists cutting diameters for each pick, so you can check them against your state.
Rules that changed recently
- Maine, 2024. Crossbows moved under the standard archery license.
- New Hampshire, Sept 1, 2025. Archery-season crossbows opened in 12 units only.
- New York, fall 2025. Crossbows allowed in the same seasons as a vertical bow for deer and bear.
- Minnesota, May 6, 2026. The sunset date was removed, so archery-season crossbow use is now permanent.
- Arizona, July 1, 2026. The old crossbow permit was folded into the CHAMP disability permit, and holders had to reapply.
- Michigan, Sept 12, 2026. Upper Peninsula late archery opened to resident senior license holders.
Before your first season
Once you know a crossbow is legal where you hunt, the next steps are practical. Know how far you can shoot ethically with our guide to how far a crossbow can shoot, and sight in the scope at a known distance before opening day. If you are starting from zero, the Crossbow Academy puts every step in order.
How this page is kept current
Each row was checked against the linked agency page, regulations book or administrative code on October 9, 2026. Where the agency site would not load, we say so in the row: Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska. This page is a summary, not legal advice. If the agency link and this page disagree, the agency is right.
FAQ
Can I hunt deer with a crossbow during archery season?
In 29 states, yes - any licensed hunter can. In 5 more it depends on the county, management unit or a separate permit. In 16 states, mostly in the West, a crossbow in archery season needs a disability permit, and everyone else can use it only in gun or any-weapon seasons.
Do I need a separate license to hunt with a crossbow?
Usually not. Most states cover crossbows under the normal archery license or stamp. Exceptions in our table include Wisconsin, which sells a separate crossbow license, and Florida and Kentucky, which run their own crossbow seasons.
What is the minimum draw weight for a hunting crossbow?
It is set by each state. Among the states that publish one, minimums run from 75 lb (New Jersey, Ohio) to 125 lb (Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Nebraska, Rhode Island), and Idaho sets 150 lb for short-range weapon seasons. Most beginner hunting crossbows draw 150 lb or more, so they clear every floor listed here.
Which states changed their crossbow rules recently?
Maine (2024), New Hampshire (Sept 2025, 12 units only), New York (fall 2025), Minnesota (made permanent in May 2026), Arizona (new CHAMP permit from July 2026) and Michigan (Upper Peninsula seniors from Sept 2026).
How current is this table?
Every row was checked against the linked agency source on October 9, 2026. Rules change between seasons, so treat the agency link in your row as the final word, not this page.