“Hunting” With an Airsoft Gun

July 30, 2020

Question: I have an airsoft rifle with clear marked orange tip and butt stock. I want to try my luck at hunting deer with the airsoft rifle without killing them. Deer have a large body mass so it wouldn’t hurt them. I would have to get much closer with the airsoft rifle than with a real rifle, and that would be a greater challenge. Are there any laws that say I can’t do this in specified hunting areas? Do I need a license given that I’m not taking or killing anything? (Colin)

Answer: An airsoft gun could indeed harm a deer, especially if it were shot in the eye at close range. Shooting deer with an airsoft gun would be considered harassment of animals, prohibited under the California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 251.1. The regulation prohibits any intentional act which disrupts an animal’s normal behavior, including breeding, feeding and sheltering. Violation of this code section may be punishable as a misdemeanor. There is an exception outlined in the code for landowners or tenants who are driving off birds or mammals for the purpose of preventing property damage.