West Virginia Legislature

2024 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 5401

BY Delegates Campbell, Westfall, Ferrell, E. Pritt, Adkins, T. Clark, and Miller

[Introduced February 1, 2024; Referred

 to the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources]

A BILL to amend and reenact §20-2-5l of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, related to moving muzzleloader hunting season to the week before rifle deer hunting season in November.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLe 2. Wildlife Resources.

§20-2-5l. Use of certain rifles to hunt in muzzleloader season.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code or any rule promulgated thereunder to the contrary, any person lawfully entitled to hunt may hunt with a  singleshot muzzleloading pistol or singleshot muzzleloading rifle, having a bore diameter of not less than thirty-eight one-hundredths of an inch, using an encapsulated propellant charge that loads from the breech, with the projectile loaded from the muzzle, during any established muzzleloader season: Provided, That such muzzleloading pistol or muzzleloading rifle may not be used for hunting during the Mountaineer Heritage season. Muzzleloader hunting season shall be moved from its current calendar position to the week immediately preceding rifle deer hunting season in November. This section is effective as of July 1, 2024.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to move muzzleloader hunting season to the week before rifle deer hunting season in November.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.