Legal Equipment

Firearm permit holders may hunt with any legal equipment during the firearm season. Muzzleloader permit holders may hunt with a muzzleloader or archery equipment during the muzzleloader and firearm seasons. Archery permit holders may only use archery equipment during the archery season.

CROSSBOWS AND LOCKING DRAWS AS AUTHORIZED UNDER K.A.R. 115-18-7

Crossbows with draw weights of at least 125 pounds, with bolts at least 16 inches long equipped with broadhead points that cannot pass through a ring 3/4 of an inch in diameter fully expanded. Crossbows may be used during the archery season by disabled archery permittees as permitted under KAR 115-18-7, hunters who possess a youth permit valid during the archery season, and hunters 55 and older who possess an big game permit valid in an archery season.

In a two-year pilot project, any person with a deer permit valid during the archery season for deer management units 1, 12, 15, and 19 may use a crossbow during the archery season, regardless of age or disability. Each person age 16 through 54 shall obtain a free crossbow hunter survey number from the KDWPT website before hunting with a crossbow during archery season.

ARCHERY
Longbows, recurve bows, or compound bows — hand drawn, that have no mechanical device to lock the bow at full or partial draw, and are designed to shoot only one arrow at a time. (Elk hunters must have a draw weight of at least 50 pounds.) A crossbow or bow with drawlock device is legal during archery season for disabled persons who possess a special permit issued by the department and for any individual possessing a youth big game permit or any individual 55 years of age or older. No electronic devices may be attached to the bow, except for lighted sight pins, dots, or holographic sights. Range-finding devices and optical scopes or sights that project no visible light toward the target and do not electronically amplify visible or infrared light may be used. Lighted nocks may be used on arrows. Arrows must be equipped with broadhead points that cannot pass through a ring 3/4-inch in diameter when fully expanded. Non-broadhead arrows may be in possession while hunting but may not be used to hunt big game. Devices capable of dispensing chemicals to take big game animals may not be used. Archery permit holders may not have a firearm in possession while hunting big game. Any-season permit holders may not possess firearms during archery season.

FIREARMS
Centerfire rifles and handguns that are not fully automatic and that fire a bullet larger than .23 inches in diameter and that use a cartridge case that is 1.280 inches or more in length (except that elk require a bullet larger than .25 inches in diameter a cartridge case length of 1.750 or longer), while using only hard-cast solid lead, soft point, hollow point, or other expanding bullets; shotguns 20-gauge (12-gauge for elk) or larger, using only slugs; and crossbows with draw weights of at least 125 pounds, with bolts at least 16 inches long equipped with broadhead points that cannot pass through a ring 3/4-inch in diameter. Non-broadhead bolts may be in possession while hunting. Range-finding devices and optical scopes or sights that project no visible light toward the target and do not electronically amplify visible or infrared light may be used. Any person who lawfully possesses a firearm suppressing device may use that device in conjunction with lawful hunting, fishing, and furharvesting.

MUZZLELOADERS
Muzzleloading rifles or muskets that can be loaded only through the front of the firing chamber with separate components and that fire a bullet of .39 inches (.49 for elk) in diameter or larger; muzzleloading single-barrel pistols having a barrel length of 10 inches or greater that can be loaded only through the front of the barrel with separate components and are .45 caliber or larger. Only hard-cast solid lead, conical lead, or saboted bullets weighing 210 grains or greater may be used with muzzleloading pistols. Range-finding devices and optical scopes or sights that do not project visible light or electronically amplify visible or infrared light may be used. Muzzleloader-only permit holders may not have a rimfire or centerfire firearm in possession while hunting big game.