Hunting Small Game With a .22 Air Rifle

February 9, 2017

Question: What are the laws on hunting small game (doves, quail, etc.)? Do I need a hunting license to hunt small game? I live in the Bakersfield area and am wondering if I can hunt doves and quail with a .22 air rifle? (Arnold C.)

Answer: You will need a hunting license to hunt big and small game mammals as well as game birds. If you don’t yet have your license, you will need to take and successfully pass a Hunter Education course. You can find information about the courses, dates and locations of upcoming classes, and you may sign up for a class on our Hunter Education website.

Methods of take for resident small game include “air rifles powered by compressed air or gas and used with any caliber of pellet, except that wild turkey may only be taken with a pellet that is at least 0.177 caliber” (CCR Title 14, section 311(f)). Different methods of take are specified for migratory birds, such as doves. Air rifles or all other rifles are prohibited for the take of migratory birds (CCR Title 14, section 507).

But its legal to shoot euros with em year round 🤗

Bring one to the Forebay Derrick!  We need a repeate of 2015:

Lol!!!  If i have room i will.

Lots of Euros there. Problem is, they are up in the big pines, and after you cork em, they get hung up. Hard to get them out in the open trees, but if you do it is game on!! Maybe accidentally on purpose drop some seeds on the roadway...

Or keep shooting them till they fall down haha