Are Crossbows Legal for Hunting? How State Rules Differ

Crossbows have gone from a niche tool to one of the most popular ways to hunt deer in much of the US. But whether you can use one, and when, still depends heavily on where you live. Some states let any hunter use a crossbow in archery season; others allow them only in firearm seasons or for hunters with a qualifying disability; at least one doesn't allow them for game mammals at all.

This guide explains the four broad ways states treat crossbows, gives examples from official state sources, explains why some states restrict them, and shows how to check the rules where you hunt. It is general information, not legal advice. Rules change often, so always read your state's current regulations.

The short answer

In most of the US, crossbows are legal for hunting in at least some seasons. The big differences are whether you can use one during archery season, whether you need a separate licence or privilege, what equipment rules apply, and whether use is limited to hunters with a disability permit or to firearm seasons. A minority of states restrict crossbows much more tightly.

The four ways states treat crossbows

1. Allowed in archery season. Any licensed hunter can use a crossbow during the archery season, usually with equipment rules and sometimes a separate licence.
2. Allowed, with local exceptions. Generally allowed, but some counties or zones restrict crossbows in archery-only seasons.
3. Firearm seasons or disability permit only. Most hunters can't use a crossbow in archery season, but can in firearm seasons, or with a qualifying disability permit.
4. Not legal for game mammals. Crossbows can't be used to hunt game mammals.

State examples from official sources

Each example below quotes the state agency or law and was checked in early October 2026. This is a sample to show how rules differ, not a complete list.

Allowed in archery season

Ohio. The 2026-27 regulations list, under legal deer archery equipment, "Crossbow: The minimum draw weight is 75 pounds." Ohio defines a crossbow as "a device for propelling an arrow by means of limbs and a string, with a shoulder-mounted stock, and having a working safety."

Pennsylvania. The Game Commission says "archery hunters may use long, recurve or compound bows, or crossbows," and that "crossbows must have a minimum draw weight of 125 pounds." That statement is from September 2025, so check the current digest.

New York. New York's Department of Environmental Conservation explained its 2025 changes: to hunt "with a crossbow during the bowhunting seasons, a hunter must have a hunting license and bowhunting privilege," and "hunters ages 14 and up… may hunt deer and bear with a crossbow during any season and in any location where a longbow is permitted." Crossbows "must have a working trigger safety and a minimum peak draw weight of 100 pounds." Crossbow users must also complete New York's bowhunter education course, and setback distances apply (500 feet in Westchester and Suffolk counties, 250 feet elsewhere).

Minnesota. State law allows a person to "take deer, bear, turkey, common carp, or native rough fish by crossbow during the respective regular archery seasons." The statute originally carried an expiry date of 30 June 2026, but Senate File 1251, which removed it, passed both chambers without a vote against and was approved by the Governor on 5 May 2026 as Session Law Chapter 64. The online statute page may still show the old expiry date. Minnesota's history shows how access widened: disability permits from 1986, hunters aged 60 and over from 2014, and all archery hunters from 2023, according to the Minnesota DNR.

Wisconsin. The DNR's September 2026 release announced "Archery And Crossbow Deer Hunting Seasons To Open Sept. 12," running "through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027." Wisconsin sells a separate "Crossbow license, to harvest deer with a crossbow and arrow," and says "the purchase of upgrade is required with either an archery or crossbow license in order to use both weapon types."

Allowed, with local exceptions

Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife's Means and Methods rules (valid from 1 September 2026) say "any person, regardless of physical ability, may use a crossbow to hunt game animals or game birds in any county… during a general open season." But "in Collin, Dallas, Grayson, and Rockwall counties, no person may use a crossbow to hunt deer during the Archery-Only Open Season unless the person has an upper-limb disability."

Firearm seasons or disability permit only

Colorado. Colorado's big game rules say: "Crossbows are not legal during the archery seasons for deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, sheep, goat, and moose, and wild bison." Where crossbows are allowed, they must meet a 125 lb minimum draw weight, a 14-inch minimum draw length and a 16-inch minimum bolt. Colorado offers an accommodation for "Use of Crossbow or Draw-lock on Handheld Bow Use during Archery Seasons" for qualifying limitations such as "decreased grip strength."

Washington. The Department of Fish and Wildlife says "crossbows are allowed in modern firearm or muzzleloader seasons without a special use permit." Its permit programme covers hunters with "a permanent inoperable upper extremity disability."

California. California's Disabled Archer Permit application explains that "a disabled archer may hunt with a crossbow or other device to draw and hold a bow in a firing position under the conditions of an archery tag or during archery season."

Not legal for game mammals

Oregon. Oregon's rules say: "It is unlawful to hunt game mammals with a crossbow or any weapon other than those rifles, handguns, shotguns, muzzleloaders, and bows authorized." Bowhunters "shall not possess any crossbow while hunting within an authorized bowhunting area or season." The Department of Fish and Wildlife adds that "game birds, crows, and western gray squirrels may not be hunted with crossbows."

What about other states?

We've only listed states where we could read the rules on an official state page. If your state isn't here, that doesn't mean crossbows are or aren't allowed; it means you should go straight to your wildlife agency's current regulations. Third-party "crossbow laws by state" lists can be useful pointers, but many aren't dated or linked to official sources, and some haven't caught up with recent changes such as New York's in 2025 or Minnesota's in 2026.

A changing picture

Crossbow rules have been moving towards wider access for years, often step by step:

• Minnesota went from disability permits (1986) to hunters aged 60 and over (2014) to all archery hunters (2023), and made that permanent in 2026.
• Texas saw a 2009 release from its parks and wildlife department titled "TPW Commission Authorizes Crossbows for Early Archery Season."
• New York expanded crossbow use in 2025, adding a bowhunter education requirement for crossbow users.

Not every state has moved the same way: Colorado's November 2025 rules still keep crossbows out of archery seasons, and Oregon still doesn't allow them for game mammals. That's why checking the current year's rules matters.

Why some states restrict crossbows

States weigh several considerations: how hunting opportunities are divided between seasons, possible effects on harvest, tradition, and access for older or disabled hunters. The evidence from one state that expanded access is useful.

Minnesota's DNR reviewed the effects of allowing crossbows in archery season and reported: "We found no evidence that the statute changes made to expand crossbow use during archery season have impacted deer or turkey populations thus far." It found that "sixty-two percent (62%) of crossbow users who responded… indicated that they are more likely to continue deer hunting," and noted it would keep monitoring antlerless harvest in northeast Minnesota and spring turkey.

In Colorado, a 2024 citizen petition argued that "in Colorado, able bodied hunters are only allowed to use crossbows during rifle seasons," and claimed "70% of all states allow the use of crossbows during big game archery seasons." That figure is the petitioner's, not the state's. Colorado's rules, as approved in November 2025, still don't allow crossbows in archery season.

Disability accommodations

Even in states that restrict crossbows, hunters with qualifying disabilities often have a route to use one. Among the states above:

• Colorado offers an accommodation for crossbow or draw-lock use in archery seasons for qualifying limitations such as decreased grip strength.
• Washington's special use permit covers hunters with a permanent inoperable upper extremity disability.
• California's Disabled Archer Permit allows a crossbow or a device to hold a bow at full draw during archery season.
• Texas allows crossbow use in its four restricted counties during the archery-only season for hunters with an upper-limb disability.

Each state has its own application process and evidence requirements, so contact the agency well before the season.

Owning a crossbow vs hunting with one

This guide is about hunting rules. Owning a crossbow is generally a separate question, governed by state and local law. Outside the US, rules can be very different. In Canada, for example, federal regulations classify some crossbows as prohibited weapons: "A crossbow or similar device that (a) is designed or altered to be aimed and fired by the action of one hand… or (b) has a length not exceeding 500 mm." Canadian hunting rules are set by each province.

How to check your state's rules

1. Find your state wildlife agency's current hunting regulations (often called a digest or guide).
2. Look for "crossbow" in the legal equipment, archery and season sections.
3. Check which seasons allow crossbows: archery, firearm, muzzleloader or special seasons.
4. Check licensing: some states require a crossbow licence, upgrade or bowhunting privilege.
5. Check equipment rules: minimum draw weight, bolt length, broadheads, safeties and scopes.
6. Check education requirements: New York, for example, requires bowhunter education for crossbow users.
7. Check local exceptions, such as counties or zones with different rules.
8. Check disability accommodations if they apply to you.
9. Re-check every season. As New York and Minnesota show, rules change.

If the wording is unclear, contact the agency directly. Many publish question-and-answer pages, like New York's.

Crossbows and hunter education

Some states tie crossbow use to education. New York now requires crossbow users to complete its bowhunter education course. Even where it isn't required, a bowhunter education course is worthwhile: it covers shot placement, tracking, tree stand safety and ethics, all of which apply to crossbow hunting.

Crossbow safety and ethics

A crossbow's ease of aiming can tempt hunters into shots that are too long. Its bolts still need to be placed precisely, and its effective range is limited by how accurately you can shoot in hunting conditions. Good practice:

• Know your effective range and stay within it; see our effective range guide.
• Aim for the vitals; see our shot placement guide.
• Cock and decock safely, keeping fingers below the rail; see our cocking guide.
• Never dry fire a crossbow; our crossbow maintenance checklist explains why.
• Respect setback distances and local rules, such as New York's.

Crossbow equipment rules to watch

Even where crossbows are allowed, equipment rules vary:

• Minimum draw weight: 75 lb in Ohio, 100 lb in New York, 125 lb in Pennsylvania and Colorado (from the sources above).
• Safety: Ohio's definition and New York's rules both require a working safety.
• Bolt and draw length: Colorado sets minimums.
• Broadheads and lighted nocks: check your state; our lighted sights guide explains how electronics rules differ.

Our guides to crossbow bolts, crossbow broadheads, cocking a crossbow and sighting in a crossbow scope cover the equipment side. Our crossbow vs compound comparison explains the differences between the two.

You can browse hunting crossbows or crossbow cases on Amazon.

Frequently asked questions

What states are crossbows illegal for hunting?

Of the states we checked, Oregon doesn't allow crossbows for hunting game mammals. Others, such as Colorado and Washington, restrict them during archery seasons. Check your own state's regulations.

Can you use a crossbow during archery season?

In many states, yes, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin among those we checked. Others restrict them.

Do you need a special licence to hunt with a crossbow?

Sometimes. Wisconsin sells a separate crossbow licence, and New York requires a bowhunting privilege and bowhunter education for crossbow use in bowhunting seasons.

Why are crossbows not allowed in archery season in some states?

States weigh season allocation, harvest concerns and tradition. Minnesota's DNR reported no evidence of population impacts so far after expanding crossbow use.

Is a crossbow legal in New York now?

Yes. Since 2025, hunters aged 14 and up with a bowhunting privilege can hunt deer and bear with a crossbow wherever a longbow is permitted, with a 100 lb minimum draw weight.

Are crossbows legal in Canada?

Hunting rules are set by each province. Federally, some crossbows (one-handed designs, or those 500 mm long or shorter) are prohibited weapons.

Is there a minimum draw weight for hunting crossbows?

In many states. Examples: 75 lb in Ohio, 100 lb in New York, 125 lb in Pennsylvania and Colorado.

Can older hunters use crossbows in archery season?

In some states, age-based rules have been a step towards wider access; Minnesota allowed hunters aged 60 and over from 2014 before opening crossbows to all archery hunters. Check your state's current rules.

Are crossbow rules the same for turkey as for deer?

Not always. Rules can differ by species and season; Oregon, for example, also bans crossbows for game birds. Check the rules for each species you hunt.