Deer caliber rules by state
"Is my rifle legal for deer here?" is one of the most-argued questions in hunting, because the answer swings wildly by state and even by county. This table sorts all 50 states into five rule types, flags where a .223 or 5.56 is off the table, and gives every state its own page with the rule quoted in full. It is a starting point to orient you, not the last word.
This is a plain-English summary, last reviewed September 2026, when we re-read the regulation itself for all 50 states. Hunting law still changes every year and varies by zone, season and public versus private land, and this is not legal advice. Before you hunt, confirm the current rule with your state agency; both links sit in every row.
| State | Rule type | .223 for deer | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Open | Legal | Gun deer season: rifles using centerfire, mushrooming ammunition (no caliber minimum); handguns or pistols using centerfire mushrooming ammunition; shotguns 10 gauge or… |
| Alaska | Open | Legal | Big game may not be taken with a firearm other than a shotgun, a muzzleloader, or a rifle or pistol using a center-firing cartridge, so rimfire is out; no minimum caliber is… |
| Arizona | Open | Legal | R12-4-304 authorises for deer: centerfire rifles, muzzleloading rifles, all other rifles using black powder or synthetic black powder, centerfire handguns, muzzleloading… |
| Arkansas | Open | Legal | Modern gun deer season: centerfire rifles or handguns smaller than .22 caliber are not allowed and rimfire cartridges are excluded, so .22 centerfire and up is legal; the… |
| California | Open | Legal | Deer may be taken with rifles using centerfire cartridges with softnose or expanding projectiles, and with pistols and revolvers using the same; shotguns holding no more than… |
| Colorado | Minimum | Not allowed | Rifles must use center-fire cartridges of .24 caliber or larger with expanding bullets of at least 70 grains and a manufacturer-rated impact energy of at least 1,000 ft-lb at… |
| Connecticut | Minimum | Not allowed | A centerfire rifle must be 6mm (.243) or larger and may be used only on private land of 10 or more acres with the landowner's signed DEEP consent form; no rifles on state… |
| Delaware | Straight-wall | Not allowed | Rifles only in straight-wall cartridges .30 to .50 caliber with a case length of 1.25 to 1.82 inches (.38 caliber at least 1.29 inches), only south of the Chesapeake and… |
| Florida | Open | Legal | Centerfire rifles are legal in general gun season with no caliber minimum; firearms using rimfire cartridges are prohibited for deer; nonexpanding full metal case (military… |
| Georgia | Open | Legal | Firearms season: modern rifles and handguns centerfire only, .22 caliber or larger with expanding bullets; shotguns 20 gauge or larger loaded with slugs or buckshot… |
| Hawaii | Minimum | Depends | When hunting without dogs, rifles must have a muzzle energy rating of 1,200 ft-lb or more; shotguns must be loaded with 00 or larger buckshot; muzzleloading rifles need at… |
| Idaho | Open | Legal | Idaho sets no minimum centerfire caliber for big game. |
| Illinois | Straight-wall | Not allowed | Since January 1, 2023 single-shot centerfire rifles are legal for deer: a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding 1.4… |
| Indiana | Open | Legal | Centerfire rifles with a bullet diameter of at least .219 inch (5.56 mm) are legal for deer on both public and private land (Senate Enrolled Act 280, 2025 removed the… |
| Iowa | Straight-wall | Depends | Shotgun and youth seasons: straight-wall and necked-down cartridge rifles shooting an expanding bullet of at least .350 and no more than .500 inch with at least 500 ft-lb at… |
| Kansas | Open | Legal | Firearms deer season: centerfire rifles and handguns that are not fully automatic, using only hard-cast solid lead, soft point, hollow point or other expanding bullets; no… |
| Kentucky | Open | Legal | Deer may be taken with a firearm with an action that fires a single round of ammunition upon each manipulation of the trigger, loaded with centerfire, single projectile… |
| Louisiana | Open | Legal | It is illegal to take deer with centerfire firearms smaller than .22 caliber, with rimfire firearms smaller than .30 caliber, or with a shotgun loaded with anything other… |
| Maine | Open | Legal | Firearms with .17 or .22 caliber rimfire cartridges may not be used for deer, except that .22 magnum may be used; no minimum centerfire caliber is set; an auto-loading… |
| Maryland | Zoned | Depends | During Firearms Season and Junior Hunt Days, shotguns (28 gauge or larger, single projectile except #1 buckshot in Dorchester County), rifles and handguns firing… |
| Massachusetts | No rifles | Not allowed | Deer may be hunted by means of a shotgun not larger than ten gauge, including shotguns with a rifled bore, by means of a muzzle-loading firearm fired from the shoulder of .44… |
| Michigan | Open | Depends | The limited firearms deer zone has been eliminated: beginning September 12, 2026 hunters can use all legal firearms across the Lower Peninsula, including rifles chambered for… |
| Minnesota | Open | Legal | Minnesota Statutes 97B.031: any rifle, shotgun or handgun used for deer must be a caliber of at least .22 inches with centerfire ignition, loaded only with single-projectile… |
| Mississippi | Open | Legal | There are no caliber or magazine capacity restrictions on firearms for deer during gun seasons; primitive weapons are single- or double-barreled muzzleloading rifles of at… |
| Missouri | Open | Legal | 3 CSR 10-7.431: deer may be taken with handguns or rifles firing expanding-type centerfire ammunition (no caliber minimum), air-powered guns .40 caliber or larger charged… |
| Montana | Open | Legal | Lawful firearms for game animals are rifles, handguns, shotguns with 0, 00 or slugs, and muzzleloaders. |
| Nebraska | Minimum | Depends | It is unlawful to take antelope, deer or mountain lion with a rifle smaller than 22 caliber or a rifle which delivers less than 900 foot-pounds of bullet energy at 100 yards… |
| Nevada | Open | Legal | A person may hunt big game with a rifle if it uses a centerfire cartridge .22 caliber or larger and no larger than .50 caliber, with a case length of no more than three… |
| New Hampshire | Open | Legal | It is unlawful to hunt deer with a .22 or smaller rimfire firearm; no centerfire caliber minimum is set; shotguns only with slugs or 00 or larger buckshot (buckshot… |
| New Jersey | No rifles | Not allowed | No centerfire rifles are legal for deer. |
| New Mexico | Open | Legal | 19.31.10 NMAC: big-game sporting arms are any centerfire firearm at least .22 caliber or larger, any muzzleloading firearm at least .45 caliber, any shotgun .410 or larger… |
| New York | Zoned | Depends | Legal implements for big game: any centerfire rifle (no caliber minimum), a shotgun 20 gauge or larger firing a single projectile, muzzleloaders, handguns, bows and… |
| North Carolina | Open | Legal | During the gun season the legal weapons are bows and arrows, crossbows and slingbows, blackpowder firearms, shotguns, rifles and handguns; the regulations digest sets no… |
| North Dakota | Open | Legal | Deer gun and youth seasons: centerfire rifles of .22 caliber or larger and muzzleloading rifles of .45 or larger are legal, with unlimited magazine capacity; rifled slugs or… |
| Ohio | Straight-wall | Not allowed | Deer gun hunting: a shotgun 10 gauge or smaller using one ball or one rifled slug per barrel; straight-walled cartridge rifles in all straight-walled calibers from a minimum… |
| Oklahoma | Open | Legal | Deer gun season: centerfire rifles firing at least a 55-grain soft-nosed or hollow-point bullet; any centerfire handgun firing a single bullet of at least 55 grains; any… |
| Oregon | Open | Legal | Deer: centerfire rifles .22 caliber or larger; .22 rimfire is not legal for game mammals; shotguns with #1 or larger buckshot or slugs; muzzleloaders .40 caliber with round… |
| Pennsylvania | Open | Legal | Deer regular seasons: manually operated (pump, lever, bolt, single-shot) centerfire rifles and revolvers or single-shot handguns with all-lead or expanding bullets, no… |
| Rhode Island | No rifles | Not allowed | Deer may be taken only with archery equipment, muzzleloaders (.45 caliber or larger, single projectile, caplock, flintlock or in-line) or shotguns of 10, 12, 16 or 20 gauge… |
| South Carolina | Open | Legal | The regulations digest sets no rifle caliber restriction for deer; archery, muzzleloaders, crossbows and pneumatic weapons are also allowed during gun hunts; in Game Zones 1… |
| South Dakota | Minimum | Depends | Deer, antelope and mountain lion: shoulder-held firearms using ammunition rated to produce at least 1,000 ft-lb of energy at the muzzle, and handguns using ammunition rated… |
| Tennessee | Open | Legal | Rifles and handguns using centerfire ammunition are legal for deer with no caliber minimum (full metal jacketed ammunition prohibited); rifles and handguns using rimfire… |
| Texas | Open | Legal | Except where specifically restricted elsewhere in the chapter, it is lawful to hunt game animals with any legal firearm, including a muzzleloader, and no minimum centerfire… |
| Utah | Open | Legal | Any-legal-weapon hunts: your rifle must fire centerfire cartridges and expanding bullets (no caliber minimum); shotguns 20 gauge or larger with slugs or 00 or larger… |
| Vermont | Open | Legal | Regular rifle season: a rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, handgun, bow and arrow or crossbow may be used, with no caliber restriction stated; December muzzleloader season: a… |
| Virginia | Minimum | Not allowed | Rifles and pistols .23 caliber or larger are legal for deer (pistols must generate at least 350 ft-lb); shotguns including muzzleloading shotguns; muzzleloading rifles .40 or… |
| Washington | Minimum | Not allowed | WAC 220-414-020: it is unlawful to hunt deer and other big game with a centerfire cartridge less than .24 caliber; shotguns must be 20 gauge or larger, loaded only with slugs… |
| West Virginia | Open | Legal | Legal firearms for the buck firearms season: a rifle using centerfire ammunition (no caliber minimum), a rifle using .25 caliber or larger rimfire ammunition, single-shot… |
| Wisconsin | Open | Legal | It is illegal to hunt deer with any air gun or rimfire rifle, and illegal to hunt a deer with any ammunition other than a bullet that is a single projectile of an expanding design. |
| Wyoming | Minimum | Depends | For the taking of antelope or deer a hunter shall use any center-fire firearm of at least .22 caliber, excluding the .22 Hornet, having a bullet weight of at least sixty… |
No state matches that. Check the spelling, or clear the search.
The five kinds of rule
No caliber minimum. Most states set no floor and trust the hunter to pick an adequate cartridge. Here a .223 is usually legal, though many hunters still choose something bigger for a cleaner, more ethical kill on deer.
Caliber or energy floor. Some states write a number into the rules: a minimum caliber, a bullet weight, or energy at the muzzle or at 100 yards. Colorado and Washington use .24 caliber, Wyoming asks for a 60 grain bullet, Nebraska and South Dakota set energy figures. A floor expressed as energy depends on your load, not on the caliber stamped on the barrel.
Straight-wall and shotgun rules. Historically flat, populated states limited deer hunting to shotguns for safety. Many now allow straight-wall cartridge rifles (think .350 Legend, .450 Bushmaster), but conventional bottleneck rifles like the .223 or .308 stay out because of the shape of the case, not its power.
Zoned. In a few states the answer is a map: rifles are legal in some counties and not in others. New York and Maryland work this way, and the boundary is often a county line rather than anything you can see from the stand.
No rifles for deer. Three states allow only shotgun, muzzleloader and archery for deer, with no centerfire rifles at all.
What changed this year. Re-reading the regulations in September 2026 found five states where our own July table had gone stale: Indiana now allows centerfire rifles on both public and private land, Michigan eliminated its limited firearm zone from September 12, West Virginia sets no minimum at all, Illinois has allowed single-shot centerfire rifles since 2023, and Iowa's rifle rule runs on bullet diameter rather than the old case limits. If you last checked a few seasons ago, check again.
Whatever the law allows, caliber is not the whole story: bullet construction and shot placement matter more than raw size. Work out whether your setup carries enough energy for the animal with the cartridge and energy guide, and put the shot where it counts with the shot placement guide.
Click a state to read its rule in full, with the regulation we read, the answer to the .223 question and the steps to confirm it. Back to the main hunting regulations hub for the 50-state agency directory and a pre-hunt legal checklist. Scoring a buck this season? Try the antler score calculator.
Rules are summarised for orientation and change often - the official regulation linked on each state's page is the authority.
Range-day gear, whatever your state allows
The rule quoted above tells you what is legal; these are the tools that make any legal setup accurate enough to matter.
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