W. Va. Code § 20-2-5G

This is the official text of W. Va. Code § 20-2-5G, part of West Virginia’s Va. Code — part of the compiled statutory law of West Virginia, published by the state as "Va. Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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§20-2-5g. Use of a crossbow to hunt.

Official statutory text

(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.

(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.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.