SoCal Hunting

[Aaryq]

Howdy folks. I'm less than 90 days out from deployment to Iraq. I intend on doing some hunting on Camp Pendleton but I can't find on the CA fish and wildlife website the dates for hunting upland game. I'll miss deer season, I'll miss bird season, but from what I've heard, I can still hunt rabbits and squirrels. I grew up in ND and we were always told not to eat Western ND squirrel or rabbit because of disease. This is my chance to eat these little critters and I don't want to miss out on it. Tell me the dates and give me some kind of source so I can go out hunting. If you can't do that, tell me what I should use. I have a bolt action 20 gauge (2+1) and I don't know what type of shot I should use and I have a .22 S-L-LR (it's a single shot so it can shoot all 3 types of cartridges). Neither weapon has a scope but I consider myself a pretty good shot with a rifle using iron sights.

Before you say it, I'll call the game warden on Monday (18th), I just want to see if you can spare me a day of waiting.

 

[spectr17]

CA regs

RABBIT SEASON: July 1, 2007 through January 30, 2008 for cottontail, brush, pygmy and snowshoe rabbits. Black-tailed and White-tailed Jackrabbit season remains open year round.

BAG AND POSSESSION LIMITS: The limit is five per day, and 10 in possession statewide. There is no limit for black-tailed and white-tailed jackrabbits.

There is no tree squirrel hunting allowed in SoCal, you have to go north to Kern county. The black in this map shows the closed counties.



Camp Pendleton has a warden on the post who sets the regs for the post so you'll want to check in with them on limits and season there.

 

[eliphalet]

The coastal hills around and near Pendleton is great cottontail and California ground squirrel hunting, unless it has changed since I moved. You can shoot the ground squirrels year round and they are fun critters to hunt. I have killed hundreds, maybe thousands with a 22 but 223's are even more fun. Check Ca. and local regulations as they have gone nuts when it comes to shooting in So Cal., old friends and relatives have told me.

 

[ArmedBear]

Cottontail season starts July 1. Jackrabbit and ground squirrel are open year-round, but tree squirrel hunting is not allowed in southern CA.

Dove starts Sept 1.

Quail, etc. starts in late October. There's a short turkey season in November, but not in San Diego County. Orange County and Riverside County do have it. Deer is also mid-Fall.

Pig is all-year, but you'd have to go a few hours north. On the other hand, there's really good pig hunting up there.

Last I went to F&G office, they didn't have the new flyers. However, they recently posted the 2007/08 mammal hunting regs in PDF form.

Look here: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/

It's taking me too long to download. Double check the dates, but dove and cottontail are the same every year.

Hunting licenses run from July 1 - June 30.