51 replies to this topic

[tkdchamp73]

i would like to try jack or cottontail rabbit hunting in angeles national forest (los angeles county)... does anyone know a good spot and how to get there? or maybe hook up with anyone interested in going? i would like to use my mossberg .22 rifle for the hunt... any comments or feedback? thanks...

[neocone]

Was thinking about that too... I think anywhere in the NF is ok as long as you respect the rules etc... and probably best only have a shotgun too.

[ShooterJohn]

From the California Department of Fish and Game regulations.§311.7. Use of Rifles and Pistols in Los Angeles County.In Los Angeles County the use of rifles or pistols is prohibited in the taking of rabbits.

[kac897]

I think you can use air rifle.

[mackeralboy]

These might be of help. I copied them from the LA County Code online.13.66.550 Firearms--Regulations in Angeles National Forest.Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person shall not shoot, fire or discharge, and a person, firm or corporation shall not cause or permit to be shot, fired or discharged in the unincorporated territory lying within the boundaries of the Angeles National Forest as defined in Section 13.66.560 any firearm of any kind excluding those firearms used in the pursuit of birds and mammals pursuant to California Fish and Game regulations. (Ord. 83-0171 § 5 (part), 1983.)13.66.551 Exception to section applicability--Angeles National Forest target shooting areas designated by the United States Forest Service.The provisions of Section 13.66.550 shall not be deemed or construed to prohibit, within the 16 target shooting areas identified on the map entitled “Areas open to target shooting Exhibit A Order No. 01-81-8” as designated by the United States Forest Service, a person from shooting, firing or discharging or a person, firm or corporation causing or permitting to be shot, fired or discharged any firearms of any kind. (Ord. 83-0171 § 5 (part), 1983.)13.66.552 Exception to section applicability--Private property located within the boundaries of the Angeles National Forest.The provisions of Section 13.66.550 shall not be deemed or construed to prohibit upon private property located within the boundaries of the Angeles National Forest as defined in Section 13.66.560 a person to shoot, fire, or discharge or a person, firm or corporation to cause or permit to be shot, fired or discharged any firearm of any kind provided the owner of said property posts his property permitting this use. (Ord. 83-0171 § 5 (part), 1983.)13.66.553 Firearms--Regulations in unincorporated area contiguous to Angeles National Forest.Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person shall not shoot, fire or discharge, and a person, firm or corporation shall not cause or permit to be shot, fired or discharged in the unincorporated territory defined in Section 13.66.563 any firearm of any kind except when such firearm is used in the pursuit of birds and mammals pursuant to California Fish and Game regulations. (Ord. 83-0171 § 5 (Part), 1983.)13.66.560 District No. 76--Angeles National Forest.District No. 76, Angeles National Forest, includes all that part of the territory of the county of Los Angeles as shown on county surveyor’s filed map No. 17468, on file in the office of the county engineer of the county of Los Angeles. (Ord. 83-0171 § 5 (part), 1983.)

[D-Man]

Lots of places to hunt in Angeles NF. You do need to know where the county line falls, as that makes a BIG difference in what you can use. Air Rifle or shotgun for rabbit. Go near the lakes and creeks and you will see rabbits. Not going to give away my rabbit spots, as rabbits are food for yotes. Which then leads to, where there are rabbits, there are yotes, and those are for me! Just kidding, the rabbits are all over the place, especially this time of year.Darren

[tkdchamp73]

i have an air rifle i can use. guess i'll just use that instead of the .22 rifle...

[tkdchamp73]

i guess i misunderstood. no rifles or pistol of any kind is allowed in los angeles county to take rabbits. then i guess my 12 gauge will do... any comments or feedbacks?

[D-Man]

Shotgun is allowed.Darren

[Renval]

I wouldnt recommed to go there, the LA GameWardens arent too friendly, i always go hicking there and i havent seen anybody carrying a gun. me and my bud are going to Palmdale this Sunday if u guys wanna join us let me know, im in San Fernando Valley,we'r gonna take the .22s and maybe some airguns.

[D-Man]

I know the rangers, and have met the game wardens. As long as you know laws, and don't act like you have anything to hide, you are fine. You won't see most people carrying a gun if you just go hiking. As a hunter, I work to avoid being seen by hikers for the most part. In Southern California, most of the hikers are tree huggers that despise hunters.Darren

[BullsEye]

I have contacted DFG a few times in regards to this. The DFG officers don't really care about what you use to take rabbits in the area. The reason that clause is written like that is because LA county Laws are different. So you must check county laws to know where you can shoot firearms. The DFG laws according to the Hunters Booklet state:11. Methods authorized for Taking resident small Game. Only the following may be used to take resident small game: ( a ) Shotguns 10 gauge or smaller using shot shells only and incapable of holding more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined. If a plug is used to reduce the capacity of a magazine to fulfill the requirements of this section, the plug must be of one piece construction incapable of removal without disassembling the gun; ( b ) Shotgun shells may not be used or possessed that contain shot size larger than No. BB, except that shot size larger than No. 2 may not be used or possessed when taking wild turkey. All shot shall be loose in the shell. ( c ) Muzzle-loading shotguns; ( d ) Falconry; ( e ) Bow and arrow (see Section 354 for archery equipment regulations); ( f ) Air rifles firing pellets and powered by com- pressed air or gas (0.20 caliber minimum for taking wild turkey); and firearm rifles and pistols for taking rabbits and squirrels, except in Los Angeles County, in addition to the methods listed in ( a ), ( B ), ( c ), ( d ) and ( e ) above. When I spoke to a warden he told me to speak with the sheriffs department in regards to discharging firearms in the Angeles National Forrest. Its a catch 22 kind of thing. When I asked if I can legally take rabbits in the area I was told yes.

[tkdchamp73]

I wouldnt recommed to go there, the LA GameWardens arent too friendly, i always go hicking there and i havent seen anybody carrying a gun. me and my bud are going to Palmdale this Sunday if u guys wanna join us let me know, im in San Fernando Valley,we'r gonna take the .22s and maybe some airguns.

hi, if you and your bud are going tomorrow, i would like to join you guys. i live in sylmar... pls. let me know the details... thanks...

[du9207]

I know the rangers, and have met the game wardens. As long as you know laws, and don't act like you have anything to hide, you are fine. You won't see most people carrying a gun if you just go hiking. As a hunter, I work to avoid being seen by hikers for the most part. In Southern California, most of the hikers are tree huggers that despise hunters.Darren

trees are our friends leave them alone, you crazy hunter

[D-Man]

As the versus channel ads say, I have stood in a few, but not out to hug them! Plus the bark bettle has already hurt more of them then anyone else.Darren

[Renval]

hi, if you and your bud are going tomorrow, i would like to join you guys. i live in sylmar... pls. let me know the details... thanks...

you have a pm

[jason@TSI]

I took a drive up to Los Padres this weekend and the bunnys were far and few between. Seen one Jack and a cottentail.

[Renval]

what part of Los padres? last time i was there i didnt see anything , ill try Carrizo next time.

[Renval]

I took a drive up to Los Padres this weekend and the bunnys were far and few between. Seen one Jack and a cottentail.

last time i was there i didnt see anything, ill try Carrizo next time.

[woodog]

Man, there is a big time drought up here, including the Carrizo, and game and predators are few and far between. I if you want to hunt the Carrizo try the area around Soda Lakes. Good luck. I was in that area today and zip, but I didn't try the lakes.Woo

[Renval]

I went to Mojave last weekend, and i didnt see anything again, i used to hunt here every weekend tons of jacks ,but now it seems they are gone

[jason@TSI]

last time i was there i didnt see anything, ill try Carrizo next time.

About 6 miles down Lockwood from the Frazier Mtn exit of the 5. Seen a couple other hunters out too, I'll be researching some new areas this week at the office for this weekends trip.

[ratassassin]

TKDChamp73, how did your hunt go? My buddy and I hunt small game in the Angeles National Forest with air rifles. Most of the time, we don't see any cottontails, to tell you the truth but it depends on the time of day. This fall and winter, we've seen more quail and mourning doves than cottontails.The comments above are all good ones. It's confusing. To add my two cents, as a practical matter, I suspect most LEO's and rangers aren't going to care if you're hunting cottontails with an air rifle in the Angeles National Forest as long as you have a valid Calif. hunting license and you're hunting away from highways, dirt roads, buildings, campers, hikers, mountain bikers, etc. For what it's worth, here's what the official federal website for Angeles National Forest says about hunting: "HUNTINGHunting is permitted throughout the Angeles National Forest during hunting seasons designated by the California State Department of Fish and Game. Hunting is prohibited in the San Dimas Experimental Forest. Hunting is not permitted in those areas where the discharge of firearms is prohibited by County Ordinance, California State law, or Federal regulations, and hunters must follow all laws, including no hunting within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area. A valid California hunting license is required.Bow hunting may be permitted in some firearm closure areas during legal hunting seasons. No bow hunting is permitted within designated recreation areas or special emphasis areas such as the San Dimas Experimental Forest. Please check with the State of California Department of Fish and Game, or a local Forest Service office for information on additional areas where bow hunting is permitted. A valid California hunting license and appropriate tag must be in possession. For more information contact the California Department of Fish and Game web site, or you may call them at (562) 590-5132."from http://www.fs.fed.us...unt-shoot.shtmlYup, clear as mud because of the reference to County ordinances. The LA County Ordinance cited above then says you can't discharge a "firearm" in the ANF, except for the types that may be used for pursuing birds and mammals under DFG regs. Then, the DFG reg that BullsEye quotes says you can hunt resident small game (including cottontails) with air rifles and, significantly -- after the semi-colon -- says you can also use firearm rifles and pistols except in LA County. So DFG clearly distinguishes between air rifles and "firearms" in that language. Which means to my simple brain that you CAN use air rifles to hunt small game including cottontails with air rifles in the ANF even in LA County, but can't use powder burners. Which sucks, of course, because like you I would dearly love to hunt the ANF with my .22 LR. I doubt most LEO's or rangers would think hunting cottontails with air rifles in the ANF is illegal, provided you're being reasonable and responsible. My buddy and I have been stopped and questioned 3 times by LA County Sheriffs when we've been out in the ANF shooting air rifles and there have been no problems so far. Each time, they were probably called by hikers or bikers who saw us shooting out in a field or on a hill side far away from them (and definitely NOT towards them). As a result, most of the time, we try to shoot out of sight of the general public and LEO's never bother us. Each time when we saw a police cruiser driving up, we put our rifles down in the bed of the truck and waived to the officers in a friendly fashion to let them know we saw them. It's important not to behave as if pose any threat, or you're hiding anything or feel guilty. After all, you have a valid Calif. hunting license. That's what you paid the State of California for. Just move slowly and predictably and put your gun down and step away from it. We greeted the officers when they approached. Each time, they more or less asked us what we were shooting. We replied, "pellet guns." They inspected our rifles and said, "have a nice day." And that was it. Took less than 5 minutes. We waited until they were back in their vehicle and pulling away before retrieving our rifles from the truck and kept shooting until it got dark. Now, at these times, we were plinking cans or paper targets and not hunting rabbits. But if we had a few cottontails on hand and showed them our hunting licenses, I doubt they would have cared much or done anything different. The main thing is, if they object and tell you it's not legal, don't argue. Just say, okay, we won't shoot here anymore. We're sorry, we thought pellet guns were okay. As long as you comply in a friendly fashion, you don't invite aggression. It's only when you seriously don't respect their "authoritah," in the immortal words of Stan Cartman, that they start feeling the need to whack you with their rhythm sticks. Anyhow, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Do we have LEO's who are members? If so, it would be useful to hear your views. RA

[mackeralboy]

Man, there is a big time drought up here, including the Carrizo, and game and predators are few and far between. I if you want to hunt the Carrizo try the area around Soda Lakes. Good luck. I was in that area today and zip, but I didn't try the lakes.Woo

The last couple of times I was out at Carrizo I stayed at the camp ground (I'm having a senior moment and can't remember the name) on the west side, up in the hills just before you come to the ranger station/interpitive center (as your driving north) near soda lake. There were all sorts of cotton tails around there in the early morning and evening, but they have a strict no hunting/ discharging of firearms policy around the campsites. I tried to go just outside the posted limit but the bunnies seem to know the boundries pretty good.

[tkdchamp73]

I was a LEO but to tell you the truth we try to stay away from DFG wardens. They think differently and sometimes go by the book. I was cited by one years ago for spearfishing with out a license in my possession and I was already a cop. I had a fishing license w/ me but I left it in my car, cuz who's diving w/ a paper license?I only caught one legal size rockfish which they let me keep, but still cited me because according to them I should be within 500 ft from my fishing license, I pointed where my car was which was visible from a distance and requested politely if I could get it to show them. They refused. Once the gw started writing the citation, he found out I was an LEO. He asked me how come I did not mention it to him before writing the citation, I told him I don't do that. I do not abuse the badge. He just smiled and told me he can't cancel the cite cuz he already signed it. So I took it w/o any further incident.Well, guess what my whole department was out for any game wardens in our area and will return the same courtesy if caught in violation. LOL. I follow the rules but I think these rookie game wardens did not know anything about selective enforcement... Thats my opinion...

[crazyhorse]

Since the fires in San Diego County, the coyotes are now concentrated in non-burn areas munching on rabbits...areas I hunt are almost totally void of rabbits,particularly jacks...but always see coyote tracks....hopefully all this rain will change all that with new growth...Only seen 3 jackrabbits since August...but have nailed several cottontails on my friends ranch...

[grumpforce]

i would like to try jack or cottontail rabbit hunting in angeles national forest (los angeles county)... does anyone know a good spot and how to get there? or maybe hook up with anyone interested in going? i would like to use my mossberg .22 rifle for the hunt... any comments or feedback? thanks...

How you doing champ 73, hey did you have any lick in the los angeles nat. forest in as far as finding a spot?

[GameAPBT]

If you guys head out, may I tag along. I'm new and wanna pick up some pointers. I'm in Pasadena as well.

[tkdchamp73]

i went out there but did not find any. i did find a spot north of 138 (on the other side of the road) by the alfalfa fields. i'm planning to go back there soon. did not kill any the last time i went but did spot a few jacks out there...

[ShooterJohn]

Don't forget to pick up the jacks you shoot so you don't risk getting a ticket.