West Virginia Hunting Laws
West Virginia sets no minimum caliber for centerfire deer rifles, but rimfire rifles must fire at least .25-caliber ammunition — smaller rimfire like .22 LR is illegal for big game. Handguns need a 4-inch barrel and either a .357 Magnum straight-wall or .24-caliber bottleneck cartridge; muzzleloaders and airguns have their own minimums.
Rules checked against West Virginia Division of Natural Resources regulations, August 30, 2026.
At a Glance
Check a Cartridge in West Virginia
Sourced Rules
Each rule links to the regulation we read and the month we checked it.
Rifle
1 ruleThere is no minimum caliber for centerfire deer/bear/boar rifles. The only caliber floor applies to rimfire ammunition, which must be at least .25 caliber — common rimfire rounds like .22 LR and .17 HMR are too small and are illegal for big game.
"It is illegal to hunt deer with: a shotgun using ammunition loaded with more than one solid ball, or a rifle using rimfire ammunition of less than .25 caliber."
Deer General Regulations — Firearms/Bows/Crossbows and Equipment, p. 11 · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Black Bear
Feral Hog
|
There is no minimum caliber for centerfire deer/bear/boar rifles. The only caliber floor applies to rimfire ammunition, which must be at least .25 caliber — common rimfire rounds like .22 LR and .17 HMR are too small and are illegal for big game.
"It is illegal to hunt deer with: a shotgun using ammunition loaded with more than one solid ball, or a rifle using rimfire ammunition of less than .25 caliber." |
Deer General Regulations — Firearms/Bows/Crossbows and Equipment, p. 11 | Aug 2026 |
Shotgun
2 rulesShotguns for deer/bear/boar may not be loaded with more than one solid ball — a single slug or ball load is required.
"a shotgun using ammunition loaded with more than one solid ball"
Deer General Regulations — Firearms/Bows/Crossbows and Equipment, p. 11 · verified Aug 2026
Nontoxic shot is required for waterfowl hunting (consistent with the federal nontoxic-shot mandate). See WVDNR's Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations for full detail.
"unless legally hunting waterfowl using nontoxic shot"
Deer General Regulations — Hunting Hours and Restrictions, p. 10 · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Black Bear
Feral Hog
|
Shotguns for deer/bear/boar may not be loaded with more than one solid ball — a single slug or ball load is required.
"a shotgun using ammunition loaded with more than one solid ball" |
Deer General Regulations — Firearms/Bows/Crossbows and Equipment, p. 11 | Aug 2026 |
|
Waterfowl
|
Nontoxic shot is required for waterfowl hunting (consistent with the federal nontoxic-shot mandate). See WVDNR's Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations for full detail.
"unless legally hunting waterfowl using nontoxic shot" |
Deer General Regulations — Hunting Hours and Restrictions, p. 10 | Aug 2026 |
Handgun
2 rulesHandguns for deer/bear/boar need at least a .357 Magnum straight-wall cartridge, or a bottle-necked cartridge of at least .24 caliber.
"hunt bear, deer or wild boar with a revolver or pistol with a barrel less than 4 inches in length and using a straight-walled case of less than .357 magnum cartridge or a bottle-necked case of less than .24 caliber"
Deer General Regulations, p. 11; General Regulations — Handgun Laws and Regulations, p. 4 · verified Aug 2026
Handguns used for deer, bear, or wild boar must have a barrel of at least 4 inches.
"hunt bear, deer or wild boar with a revolver or pistol with a barrel less than 4 inches in length"
General Regulations — Handgun Laws and Regulations, p. 4 · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Black Bear
Feral Hog
|
Handguns for deer/bear/boar need at least a .357 Magnum straight-wall cartridge, or a bottle-necked cartridge of at least .24 caliber.
"hunt bear, deer or wild boar with a revolver or pistol with a barrel less than 4 inches in length and using a straight-walled case of less than .357 magnum cartridge or a bottle-necked case of less than .24 caliber" |
Deer General Regulations, p. 11; General Regulations — Handgun Laws and Regulations, p. 4 | Aug 2026 |
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Black Bear
Feral Hog
|
Handguns used for deer, bear, or wild boar must have a barrel of at least 4 inches.
"hunt bear, deer or wild boar with a revolver or pistol with a barrel less than 4 inches in length" |
General Regulations — Handgun Laws and Regulations, p. 4 | Aug 2026 |
Muzzleloader
1 ruleMuzzleloading rifles and pistols used for deer, bear, or wild boar must be at least .38 caliber.
"a muzzleloader of less than .38 caliber during the muzzleloader deer season ... hunt bear, deer or wild boar with a muzzleloading pistol of less than .38 caliber"
Deer General Regulations, p. 11; General Regulations — Handgun Laws and Regulations, p. 4 · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Black Bear
Feral Hog
|
Muzzleloading rifles and pistols used for deer, bear, or wild boar must be at least .38 caliber.
"a muzzleloader of less than .38 caliber during the muzzleloader deer season ... hunt bear, deer or wild boar with a muzzleloading pistol of less than .38 caliber" |
Deer General Regulations, p. 11; General Regulations — Handgun Laws and Regulations, p. 4 | Aug 2026 |
Air Gun
3 rulesAir rifles for deer/bear/boar must be at least .45 caliber and fire a bullet of at least 200 grains; otherwise they are subject to the same rules as firearms.
"an air rifle of less than .45 caliber and with a bullet of less than 200 grains. Any person hunting with an air rifle is subject to all other rifle and firearm hunting regulations"
Deer General Regulations — Firearms/Bows/Crossbows and Equipment, p. 11 · verified Aug 2026
Air rifle projectiles for big game must weigh at least 200 grains.
Deer General Regulations — Firearms/Bows/Crossbows and Equipment, p. 11 · verified Aug 2026
Air rifles for small game (and turkey) must be at least .22 caliber.
"hunt small game with an air rifle of less than .22 caliber"
General Regulations — Prohibitions, p. 1 · verified Aug 2026
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Black Bear
Feral Hog
|
Air rifles for deer/bear/boar must be at least .45 caliber and fire a bullet of at least 200 grains; otherwise they are subject to the same rules as firearms.
"an air rifle of less than .45 caliber and with a bullet of less than 200 grains. Any person hunting with an air rifle is subject to all other rifle and firearm hunting regulations" |
Deer General Regulations — Firearms/Bows/Crossbows and Equipment, p. 11 | Aug 2026 |
|
White-tailed / Mule Deer
Black Bear
Feral Hog
|
Air rifle projectiles for big game must weigh at least 200 grains. | Deer General Regulations — Firearms/Bows/Crossbows and Equipment, p. 11 | Aug 2026 |
|
Small Game
|
Air rifles for small game (and turkey) must be at least .22 caliber.
"hunt small game with an air rifle of less than .22 caliber" |
General Regulations — Prohibitions, p. 1 | Aug 2026 |
All Weapons
3 rulesUnlike most states, West Virginia allows rifles and handguns for turkey hunting, in addition to shotguns, muzzleloaders, air rifles (.22 cal+), bows, and crossbows. No shotgun shot-size limit for turkey is stated in the current regulations summary.
"Wild turkey may be hunted with rifles, air rifles .22 caliber or larger, handguns, muzzleloaders, shotguns, bows or crossbows with arrows or bolts equipped with a point having at least two sharp-cutting edges measurin..."
Turkey General Regulations — legal firearms and equipment, p. 40 · verified Aug 2026
At least 400 square inches of blaze orange outer garment is required for anyone hunting in a county with an open deer firearms or muzzleloader season (also required for wild boar hunters in those same counties/seasons). Does not apply to waterfowl hunters or landowners farming their own land.
"Persons hunting in counties or portions thereof where a deer firearms season or muzzleloader season is presently open shall wear a blaze orange outer garment of at least 400 square inches."
Deer General Regulations — Blaze Orange Requirement, p. 10 · verified Aug 2026
West Virginia's hunting rules are silent on suppressors: the 26-item statutory list of unlawful hunting methods does not mention them, and neither does the 2026-2027 regulations summary, so the hunting rules put no limit on using one for any species. The suppressor itself still has to be lawfully possessed under federal law and West Virginia's weapons statutes. The ban on hunting with a fully automatic firearm comes from the Division of Natural Resources regulations summary rather than the statute.
Suppressor law in 2026: what changed · suppressor prices
"(a) Except as authorized by the director or by law, it is unlawful at any time for any person to: (1) Shoot at any wild bird or wild animal unless it is plainly visible;"
| Species | Rule | Citation | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wild Turkey
|
Unlike most states, West Virginia allows rifles and handguns for turkey hunting, in addition to shotguns, muzzleloaders, air rifles (.22 cal+), bows, and crossbows. No shotgun shot-size limit for turkey is stated in the current regulations summary.
"Wild turkey may be hunted with rifles, air rifles .22 caliber or larger, handguns, muzzleloaders, shotguns, bows or crossbows with arrows or bolts equipped with a point having at least two sharp-cutting edges measurin..." |
Turkey General Regulations — legal firearms and equipment, p. 40 | Aug 2026 |
|
All species
|
At least 400 square inches of blaze orange outer garment is required for anyone hunting in a county with an open deer firearms or muzzleloader season (also required for wild boar hunters in those same counties/seasons). Does not apply to waterfowl hunters or landowners farming their own land.
"Persons hunting in counties or portions thereof where a deer firearms season or muzzleloader season is presently open shall wear a blaze orange outer garment of at least 400 square inches." |
Deer General Regulations — Blaze Orange Requirement, p. 10 | Aug 2026 |
|
All species
|
West Virginia's hunting rules are silent on suppressors: the 26-item statutory list of unlawful hunting methods does not mention them, and neither does the 2026-2027 regulations summary, so the hunting rules put no limit on using one for any species. The suppressor itself still has to be lawfully possessed under federal law and West Virginia's weapons statutes. The ban on hunting with a fully automatic firearm comes from the Division of Natural Resources regulations summary rather than the statute.
Suppressor law in 2026: what changed · suppressor prices
"(a) Except as authorized by the director or by law, it is unlawful at any time for any person to: (1) Shoot at any wild bird or wild animal unless it is plainly visible;" |
W. Va. Code § 20-2-5(a) — no mention of suppressors, silencers or mufflers in the § 20-2-5(a) unlawful-acts list or in the 2026-2027 Regulations Summary prohibitions (read 2026-10-16) | Oct 2026 |
Federal Rules That Apply in Every State
These federal requirements apply in West Virginia on top of state law.
Sources
How to Use This Page
Each rule links to the regulation we read and the month we checked it. Rules marked needs review come from summaries rather than the regulation text, and never produce a green answer in the checker. The checker's energy figures are typical factory loads, so where a rule sets an energy or bullet-weight floor, check your own load's rating. This page covers equipment only, not seasons, tags or local ordinances, and it isn't legal advice. The current West Virginia Division of Natural Resources regulations are the final word.