Hunting With Lead in a National Forest

December 7, 2017

Question: I was wondering if you can still hunt with lead .22 caliber rimfire or .17 HMR rimfire in a lead-free zone like Lassen National Forest or El Dorado National Forest. I’ve read that effective July 2017, you have to use nonlead shotgun ammunition, but can you still use lead ammunition to hunt for tree squirrels if you are not hunting on CDFW lands? Is the national forest a part of CDFW land? (Thong Yang)

Answer: You are still allowed to hunt tree squirrels with centerfire or rimfire lead ammunition in Lassen and El Dorado national forests, which are not CDFW lands. Beginning July 1, 2019, nonlead ammunition will be required when taking any animal statewide including private lands and all national forests (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 250.1).