March 26, 2015

Question: A buddy of mine has a feeder on his ranch that he loads up with feed to attract turkeys to his property. He intends to hunt them once the season opens. I told him this was illegal baiting but he said he would pull the feed out before hunting the area. What do you think? Is this really legal? (Anonymous)

Answer: No. It is illegal to harass any game or nongame bird unless authorized by a regulation or the Fish and Game Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 251.1). Under this section, “harass” is defined as an intentional act which disrupts an animal’s normal behavior patterns, which includes, but it is not limited to, breeding, feeding and sheltering. Consequently, if your friend’s feeder disrupts the normal behavior pattern of the turkeys, it would be a violation of the law to feed the turkeys even if he/she pulls the feeder out before hunting the area. Also, please note that a person may not take resident game birds, such as turkeys, within 400 yards of any baited area unless an exception in CCR Title 14, section 257.5, has been met.