Are Crossbows Legal in Massachusetts? Permit Rules and Penalties

Crossbows are legal in Massachusetts only for hunters with a permanent physical disability that prevents them from operating a conventional or compound bow, and only after MassWildlife issues a special crossbow permit.¹ There is no general crossbow season for able-bodied hunters in the state, and carrying a crossbow in the field without that permit is illegal.

Who Qualifies for a Crossbow Permit

Chapter 131, Section 69 of the Massachusetts General Laws prohibits crossbow use for hunting except by individuals with a permanent physical disability that makes it impossible to operate a conventional or compound bow.² The disability must be permanent. Temporary injuries do not qualify, and there is no short-term permit for someone recovering from surgery or a broken arm. A licensed physician has to certify the condition and explain in plain language how it prevents you from drawing and shooting a traditional bow.

This puts Massachusetts among the most restrictive states in the country. Most states now allow all hunters to use crossbows during at least part of the archery season, and some treat crossbows as ordinary archery equipment. Massachusetts has not gone that direction.

How to Apply

Applications run through MassWildlife, and you need a few things in place before you send anything in:

A valid Massachusetts hunting license ($40 for residents) or sporting license ($75 for residents).³
A MassFishHunt account, since permits are managed through that online system.
Your physician’s completed certification, written as a narrative explaining how your permanent disability prevents you from operating a conventional or compound bow.⁴

Mail the signed application to MassWildlife Field Headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581. Allow at least 10 business days for processing.⁴ If MassWildlife has questions about whether you meet the criteria, your application may be referred to a medical review board, and you pay those review costs yourself.¹

MassWildlife does not send an approval letter or a physical card. To confirm approval, log into MassFishHunt, open your active licenses, and look for the crossbow permit notation on your hunting or sporting license.⁴

The Permit Is Permanent and Cannot Be Reversed

Read this part twice before applying. A Massachusetts crossbow permit is a one-way door. Once approved, the crossbow designation attaches to your hunting identity for life, and you will never be able to hunt with a conventional bow and arrow in Massachusetts again.¹ There is no renewal, no expiration, and no process to undo the designation.

You still buy a hunting or sporting license and the appropriate stamps each year, and you have to keep using the same MassFishHunt customer ID number so your crossbow status carries forward.⁴ The underlying crossbow authorization itself never renews. For a hunter whose disability is genuinely permanent, that removes a paperwork burden. For anyone unsure, the irreversibility deserves serious thought.

What You Can Hunt With a Crossbow

Crossbow permit holders participate in the same seasons as conventional archery hunters. The main one is archery deer season, which for 2026 runs October 5 through November 28.⁵ With the correct stamps, you can also hunt during primitive firearms deer season, when archery equipment is permitted alongside muzzleloaders. Wild turkey is on the table too, though a separate turkey permit is required.⁶

The general rule is simple: wherever Massachusetts allows archery equipment, a permitted crossbow hunter may substitute a crossbow, so long as they carry the right species permits and stamps. That means an archery stamp ($10 for residents, $30 for non-residents), an antlerless deer permit if you want to take a doe, and species-specific permits for turkey, black bear, or pheasant and quail.⁷

Equipment Rules

For conventional bows used on deer, bear, and turkey, Massachusetts sets a minimum draw weight of 40 pounds at 28 inches or at peak draw.⁸ Crossbow-specific standards, including minimum draw weight and bolt specifications, are set by the director of MassWildlife under rulemaking authority granted by Chapter 131, Section 69.² Because those specifications can change through regulatory updates without new legislation, call MassWildlife at (508) 389-6300 before you head out to confirm current requirements.

Poisoned arrows and explosive-tipped bolts are prohibited for all archery hunting in Massachusetts.⁸

Penalties for Using a Crossbow Without a Permit

Using a crossbow without a valid permit means hunting with prohibited equipment. At a minimum, expect confiscation of the crossbow and any game taken illegally. Massachusetts Environmental Police enforce Chapter 131, and violations can bring fines, loss of hunting privileges, and criminal charges depending on the circumstances.

The state’s dangerous weapons statute, Chapter 269, Section 10, may also apply to certain situations involving crossbows outside a lawful hunting context, with penalties that can include imprisonment for repeat offenses.⁹ If illegally taken game crosses state lines, the federal Lacey Act adds a separate offense for transporting wildlife taken in violation of state law, with criminal penalties reaching up to $20,000 and five years in prison for felony violations.

A conviction can also cost you your hunting license, which in Massachusetts means reapplying and potentially retaking the hunter education course.

A Possible Change to the Law

The restriction may not last forever. In March 2026, MassWildlife formally recommended that the legislature amend Chapter 131, Sections 64 and 69 to remove the statutory crossbow prohibition. The proposal would let MassWildlife regulate crossbow hunting during established seasons through its own rulemaking, rather than requiring a legislative act for every adjustment.¹⁰ If adopted, the change would bring Massachusetts closer to the majority of states that already allow general crossbow use during some or all of the archery season.

Until any such bill passes, the law is unchanged: crossbows are available only to permanently disabled hunters with a valid MassWildlife permit, and that permit is irreversible once granted.²

1
Mass.gov. Apply for a Crossbow Permit
2
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Code Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 131, Section 69
3
Mass.gov. MassWildlife Fee Schedule 2022-2026
4
Mass.gov. Crossbow Permit Application Instructions
5
Mass.gov. Deer Hunting Regulations
6
Mass.gov. Wild Turkey Hunting Regulations
7
Mass.gov. Hunting Licenses, Permits, and Stamps
8
Mass.gov. General Hunting Regulations
9
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part IV, Title I, Chapter 269, Section 10
10
Mass.gov. MassWildlife Recommendations – Hunting Laws – March 2026