Can You Hunt With an AR-15? (Yes, Here's Where & How)

The country's most popular rifle makes a great sporting rifle when it comes to hunting America's small, medium, and even big game. To answer the question: Yes, the AR-15 is a legal hunting rifle in most states. But there are key restrictions in place in many locales, and some states simply don't allow it.

NOTE: State laws are subject to change without notice. Always check your local and state laws to verify whether hunting with an AR-15 is still legal in your state.

States Where Hunting With an AR-15 Is Legal

You can hunt with an AR-15 in these states with no specific restrictions when it comes to configuring your rifle (note that short-barreled rifles are prohibited in some states):

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Maine
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

States With Partial AR-15 Hunting Restrictions

Each of the below states places certain restrictions on the use of an AR-15 as a hunting rifle. So, while the rifle itself may be legal, it must be configured a certain way, or other restrictions apply. Let's review them.

California

California has no specific restrictions against the use of an AR-15 as a hunting rifle. The rifle in question must adhere to the state's restrictions, though. That means your rifle must be "California-compliant" and have a 5-round magazine to limit ammo capacity. You must also use soft-nose or expanding ammo when hunting, per California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 353.

Colorado

To hunt with your AR-15 in Colorado, you'll need to chamber a round of at least .240 caliber or higher. That means no 5.56 or .223. Any of the popular 6.5mm cartridges found in the AR today, like 6.5 Grendel or 6.5 Creedmoor, will suffice.

You'll also need to invest in a 5-round magazine -- anything larger is prohibited -- and the cartridge you chamber must be at least 70 grains for deer, 85 grains for moose, and maintain at least 1,000 ft.-lbs. of energy at 100 yards.

You can see Colorado's regulations here.

Florida

Florida's Fish and Wildlife Commission prohibits the use of any semiautomatic rifle with a magazine capacity greater than rounds. So, you'll need to buy a five-round magazine for your AR-15 to hunt with it in Florida.

Hawaii

Among Hawaii's extensive list of hunting regulations is one that prohibits the use of any cartridge that produces less than 1,200 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy. It can be found on page 14 of the state's linked regulations (§13-123-22 "Conditions and Restrictions").

That means some of the lighter .223/5.56 loads, any any subsonic loads (particularly 300 Blackout) are prohibited if you want to hunt with your AR-15 in Hawaii.

Illinois

Illinois places several restrictions on the use of an AR-15 as a hunting rifle. For starters, the rifle must be configured as a "single-shot" firearm. State laws says that removing the detachable magazine and hand-loading each cartridge can qualify the AR-15 for use.

Importantly, you must also use a cartridge at least .30 caliber or larger, with a case length not exceeding 1.4". That means 5.56 and .223 are a no-go. You must also not use full metal jacket rounds to hunt deer.

Indiana

Indiana places restrictions on both cartridges you can chamber, and the magazine capacity of your AR-15. According to section 14-22-2-8 of the state's Natural and Cultural Resources Article 22, you must use a caliber of at least .243, and you carry no more than 10 rounds total in your rifle. 

Importantly, that last bit means you can technically only carry 9 rounds in a 10-round magazine, with one round chambered. Full metal jacketed rounds are also prohibited, and the cartridge you chamber must have a case length of at least 1.16" and no greater than 3".

Michigan

Until just a few years ago, Michigan prohibited the use of any rifle when hunting. Now, rifles including the AR-15 can be used for hunt -- but your choice in cartridges will be severely limited. 

You must use a .35-caliber cartridge or larger, with a minimum case length of 1.16" and a max case length of 1.8". Some AR cartridges that meet these requirements include .350 Legend and .450 Bushmaster. Magazine capacity is also limited to 5 rounds, plus one in the chamber. 

You can read Michigan's restrictions in detail here.

New Hampshire

Although New Hampshire has no ban or specific restriction on the ownership or use of an AR-15 as a hunting rifle, state law says it is only legal to hunt with a rifle that has a maximum capacity of 6 rounds. That means you'll need to stick with a 5-round magazine when hunting with an AR-15.

It's also important to note that some towns in New Hampshire only allow the use of muzzleloaders and lever-action rifles chambered in .357, .44 Magnum, or .45 Colt when hunting deer.

New Jersey

Although centerfire rifles chambered with rounds no larger than .25 caliber may be used to hunt coyote and fox, New Jersey prohibits the use of rimfire and centerfire rifles for hunting deer. At the time of this publication, New Jersey's general AR-15 ban has been overturned, but the state's legislature is appealing the decision.

New York

New York's hunting laws have no specific restrictions when it comes to hunting with an AR-15. But state law does say that your hunting rifle can only have a maximum capacity of 6 rounds. 

New York also maintains strict regulations on the general ownership of AR-15s. Your rifle must be "SAFE Act compliant". That means your AR must have either a fixed magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds or less, or a detachable magazine with none of the state's banned features.

Ohio

Page 9 of Ohio's Hunting and Trapping Regulations provide strict regulations on what equipment can be used to hunt deer. Although specific rifles like the AR-15 aren't banned from use, regulations do require that you only hunt with straight-walled cartridges with a minimum caliber of .357, and a maximum caliber of .50.

That means you can't hunt deer with any 5.56 or .223 loads, and must instead chamber your AR in a straight-walled cartridge, like .350 Legend or .450 Bushmaster.

Vermont

Vermont's hunting regulations require that all semiautomatic rifles have a maximum ammo capacity of 6 rounds or less. That means you'll need to use a 5-round magazine with your AR-15

States Where Hunting With an AR-15 Is Illegal

You simply can't use an AR-15 to hunt in these states. In most cases, it's because the state has banned the ownership of the AR-15, or classified the rifle as an "assault weapon."

Connecticut

Connecticut's "assault weapon" ban is extreme, far-reaching, and likely unconstitutional. But until the ban is overturned, hunting with an AR-15 in Connecticut is prohibited. Merely owning an AR-15 in Connecticut requires jumping through legal loopholes, including configuring your rifle with a fixed magazine that has a capacity of less than 10 rounds.

Connecticut's hunting laws are just about as strict. You cannot hunt on state-owned land with a rifle that chambers ammunition "larger or heavier than .22 caliber rimfire," and you must use at least 6mm (.243) or larger ammo if you intend to hunt with a rifle on private land -- which is the only place wherein hunting with a centerfire rifle is legal in Connecticut.

Delaware

In 2022, Delaware passed House Bill 450, which bans the sale and ownership of the AR-15. Although it is possible to get around the ban by configuring your rifle with a fixed magazine and by removing certain features, you cannot hunt with any AR-15 rifle. 

Delaware's hunting laws prohibit hunting with any centerfire rifle that doesn't use straight-walled ammunition usable in handguns, such as .357 Magnum.

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Assault Weapons Ban (G.L. c. 140, Section 128 and 131M) includes the Colt AR-15 by name, and any weapon with "internal functional components that are substantially similar to the construction or configuration" of the Colt AR-15. That includes the fire control components, like the hammer and trigger, and the bolt carrier group of the AR platform.

As such, the AR-15 is effectively banned from ownership in Massachusetts, which also makes it illegal to hunt with one in the state.

Washington

Washington's assault weapon ban (House Bill 1240) effectively bans the ownership of any AR-15, which therefor restricts its use as a hunting rifle in the state. Washington's hunting laws also require that a caliber of .24 or greater be used for hunting deer and other big game, negating the use of the typical 5.56- or .223-chambered rifle.