West Virginia Code 20-2-5g – Use of a crossbow to hunt
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, any person lawfully entitled to hunt may hunt with a crossbow during big game firearms season. A person who possesses a valid Class Y permit may also hunt with a crossbow in accordance with § 20-2-42w of this code. Further, the director shall designate a separate season for crossbow hunting and identify which species of wildlife may be hunted with a crossbow.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 20-2-5g
- Big game: means elk, deer, black bears, wild boars and wild turkeys. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- Director: means the Director of the Division of Natural Resources. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- Hunt: means to pursue, chase, catch or take any wild birds or wild animals. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- Person: except as otherwise defined elsewhere in this chapter, means the plural "persons" and shall include individuals, partnerships, corporations or other legal entities. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- Wildlife: means wild birds, wild animals, game and fur-bearing animals, fish (including minnows), reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans and all forms of aquatic life used as fish bait, whether dead or alive. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
(b) Only crossbows meeting all of the following specifications may be used for hunting in West Virginia:
(1) The crossbow has a minimum draw weight of 125 pounds;
(2) The crossbow has a working safety; and
(3) The crossbow is used with bolts and arrows not less than 16 inches in length as measured from the leading end of the shaft, including the insert, to the trailing end of the shaft, including the nock, with a broad head having at least two sharp cutting edges, measuring at least three fourths of an inch in width.