California Outdoors Q & A: Preparing for Wildlife Officer Inspection

February 20, 2014

Question: What should a person do when approached by a wildlife officer for inspection? Should they put the gun onto their car so that it's in plain sight? Should they tell the officer to wait while they unload the gun? Should they place the gun on the ground? What is the proper protocol in this type of situation? Please advise. (Rheannon O.)

Answer: First of all, placing a loaded long gun in or on a vehicle which is in a place open to the public is a violation of the law. Vehicles should automatically be considered a poor choice to place or to store a loaded firearm. When a wildlife officer approaches, the first thing you should do is follow the directions that the officer gives you. Absent any directions, here are some good options: 

1.    Some people unload their firearm in a calm manner to show respect for what a loaded firearm can do, and respect for the officer. This shows the officer you are handing him a safe unloaded firearm. If you are within talking distance, ask the officer if he/she wants you to unload the firearm. If directed to unload, make sure to control the muzzle so it points away from people.

2.    Many folks simply hand the firearm to the officer, and that is also acceptable. If you do, make sure to tell the officer the gun is loaded.

3.    Setting the gun on the ground is acceptable so long as the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction, but depending on the terrain (mud, sand, etc.), this may not be a prudent choice.

I usually ask him to hold my beer while I unload the gun. Then i show him that the gun is unloaded by putting the barrel in my mouth and pulling the trigger.

Pretend you are deaf, and use sign. Ten bucks,  he repeats himself louder so you can hear him better.

I've had them check on me but they never had me disarm or unload when in the field. Rifle was slung though.

I've had them check on me but they never had me disarm or unload when in the field. Rifle was slung though.

They didn't call your firearm serial number in to see if it was registered or if it was legal?

Lol. No dude. It was my 30-06, about 45 years old.

Great that is why I don't hunt often. I have a couple I wouldn't take. And my 06 is one of them. It is legal but I don't want it on any record. SO I only hunt where there is very little chance of a game warden check. I do it all legal. Just want them to have as little contact with what I own.

Great that is why I don't hunt often. I have a couple I wouldn't take. And my 06 is one of them. It is legal but I don't want it on any record. SO I only hunt where there is very little chance of a game warden check. I do it all legal. Just want them to have as little contact with what I own.

I don't believe long guns are registered (except for assault weapon types), only hand guns are registered.  If a Warden runs the serial on your rifle, it would just be to see if it was reported as stolen. 

So I did some digging and, it still holds that there are no long gun registration requirements in CA (only handgun and assault types). 

HOWEVER, if your long guns are ever seized by law enforcement, prior to obtaining a Law Enforcement Gun Release (LEGR) from the CA DOJ to get the guns released back to you, you MUST fill out what's called a Firearms Ownership Report (FOR).  The FOR is basically a registration of your long guns.

https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/legrinfo

https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/pubfaqs

I was checked wile duck hunting once, when they were in talking distance I told them that the gun was loaded and that I was going to safely clear my weapon before they came any closer. After l cleared it I leaned it against a tree moved 10 feet away to talked to them.

I then empty my pockets to show I had no lead shot. I then realized that I had forgotten my wallet. They took my shot gun followed me to my house waited outside wile I got my wallet and showed them what they needed to see. No ticket !!!

I think the guy could have nailed me to the wall if he wanted to, but I believed because I showed him and his partner respect from the beginning  is the reason he was so cool.