California Code of Regulations
Title 14 - Natural Resources
Division 1 - Fish and Game Commission-Department of Fish and Game
Subdivision 2 - Game, Furbearers, Nongame, and Depredators
Chapter 3 - Big Game
Section 362 - Nelson Bighorn Sheep
Universal Citation: 14 CA Code of Regs 362
Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024
(a) Areas:
(1) Zone 1 (Marble/Clipper Mountains)
(A) Area: In that portion of San Bernardino
County beginning at the intersection of Kelbaker Road and the National Trails
Highway; north on Kelbaker Road to the junction with Interstate Highway 40;
east on Interstate Highway 40 to the intersection with National Trails Highway;
southwest on National Trails Highway to junction with Kelbaker Road.
(2) Zone 2 (Kelso Peak and Old Dad
Mountains)
(A) Area: In that portion of San
Bernardino County beginning at the intersection of Kelbaker Road and the Union
Pacific Railroad in Kelso; southwest along the Union Pacific Railroad to
intersection with unnamed road at Crucero; north on unnamed road to the merging
with Mojave Road; northeast on Mojave Road to the junction with Zzyzx Road;
north on Zzyzx Road to intersection with Interstate Highway 15; northeast on
Interstate Highway 15 to the intersection with Cima Road; south on Cima Road to
the intersection with the Union Pacific Railroad in Cima; southwest on the
Union Pacific Railroad to the intersection with Kelbaker Road in
Kelso.
(3) Zone 3 (Clark
and Kingston Mountain Ranges)
(A) Area: In
that portion of San Bernardino and Inyo counties beginning at the intersection
of Interstate Highway 15 and California State Highway 127 in Baker; north on
California State Highway 127 to the junction with Old Spanish Gentry Road at
Tecopa; southeast on Old Spanish Gentry Road to the junction with Furnace Creek
Road; southeast on Furnace Creek Road to the junction with Mesquite Valley
Road; north on Mesquite Valley Road to Old Spanish Trail Highway; north and
east on Old Spanish Trail Highway to the California-Nevada state line;
southeast along the California-Nevada state line to the intersection with
Interstate Highway 15; southwest on Interstate Highway 15 to the junction with
California State Highway 127.
(4) Zone 4 (Orocopia Mountains)
(A) Area: In that portion of Riverside County
beginning at the intersection of Interstate Highway 10 and Cottonwood Springs
Road; east on Interstate Highway 10 to the junction with Red Cloud Mine Road;
south on Red Cloud Mine Road to the junction with the Eagle Mountain Mining
Railroad; southwest on the Eagle Mountain Mining Railroad to the junction with
the Bradshaw Trail; southwest on the Bradshaw Trail to the Intersection with
the Coachella Canal; west along the Coachella Canal to the junction with Box
Canyon Road; northeast on Box Canyon Road to the junction with Cottonwood
Springs Road; north on Cottonwood Springs Road to the intersection with
Interstate Highway 10.
(5) Zone 5 (San Gorgonio Wilderness)
(A) Area: In that portion of Riverside and
San Bernardino counties beginning at the intersection of Interstate Highway 10
and California State Highway 62, west on Interstate Highway 10 to the junction
with California State Highway 30; north on California State Highway 30 to the
junction with California State Highway 38; east and north on California State
Highway 38 to the junction with Forest Service Route 1N01; east on Forest
Service Route 1N01 to its joining with Pipes Road; east on Pipes Road to the
junction with Pioneertown Road; southeast on Pioneertown Road to the junction
with California State Highway 62; southwest on California State Highway 62 to
the intersection with Interstate Highway 10.
(6) Zone 6 (Sheep Hole Mountains)
(A) Area: In that portion of San Bernardino
County beginning at the junction of California State Highway 62 and Ironage
Road; northwest on Ironage Road to the intersection with Amboy Road; north on
Amboy Road to the intersection with National Trails Highway; east on National
Trails Highway to the junction with Saltus Road; southeast on Saltus Road to
the junction with unnamed road in Saltus that runs through Cadiz Valley;
southeast on unnamed road to the intersection with California State Highway 62;
west on California State Highway 62 to the junction with Ironage
Road.
(7) Zone 7 (White
Mountains)
(A) Area: In that portion of Mono
County within a line beginning at U.S. Highway 6 and the Mono-Inyo county line;
northward on Highway 6 to the California-Nevada state line; southeasterly along
the California-Nevada state line to the Mono-Inyo county line; westward along
the Mono-Inyo county line to the point of beginning.
(8) Zone 8 (South Bristol Mountains)
(A) Area: In that portion of San Bernardino
County beginning at the junction of Kelbaker Road and the National Trails
Highway; west on the National Trails Highway to the intersection with
Interstate Highway 40; east on Interstate Highway 40 to the junction with
Kelbaker Road; south on Kelbaker Road to the point of beginning.
(9) Zone 9 (Cady Mountains)
(A) Area: In that portion of San Bernardino
County beginning at the junction of Interstate Highway 40 and Newberry Road;
north on Newberry Road to intersection with Riverside Road; east on Riverside
Road to junction with Harvard Road; north on Harvard Road to junction with
Interstate Highway 15; northeast on Interstate Highway 15 to junction with
Basin Road; south on Basin Road to intersection with Union Pacific Railroad;
east along Union Pacific Railroad to intersection with Crucero Road; south on
Crucero Road to intersection with Interstate Highway 40; west on Interstate
Highway 40 to the point of beginning.
(10) Zone 10 (Newberry, Rodman, and Ord
Mountains)
(A) Area: In that portion of San
Bernardino County beginning at the junction Interstate 40 and Barstow Road;
south on Barstow Road to the junction with Northside Road; east on Northside
Road to the intersection with Camp Rock Road; northeast on Camp Rock Road to
the intersection with Powerline Road; east on Powerline Road to Transmission
Line Road to the intersection with Interstate 40; west on Interstate 40 to the
point of the beginning.
(b) Seasons:
(1) Open Zone Fundraising Tag: The holder of
the fundraising license tag issued pursuant to subsection
4902(d)
of the Fish and Game Code may hunt:
(A) Zones
1 through 4, 6, 8 and 9: Beginning the first Saturday in November and extending
through the first Sunday in February.
(B) Zone 5: Beginning the third Saturday in
November and extending through the third Sunday in February.
(C) Zone 7: Beginning the first Saturday in
August and extending through the last Sunday in September.
(2) Marble/Clipper/South Bristol Mountains
Fundraising Tag: The holder of the fundraising license tag issued pursuant to
subsection
4902(d)
of the Fish and Game Code may hunt:
(A) Zones
1 and 8: Beginning the first Saturday in November and extending through the
first Sunday in February.
(3) Cady Mountains Fundraising Tag: The
holder of the fundraising license tag issued pursuant to subsection
4902(d)
of the Fish and Game Code may hunt:
(A) Zone
9: Beginning the first Saturday in November and extending through the first
Sunday in February.
(4)
Except as provided in subsection
362(b)(1), the
Nelson bighorn sheep season in the areas described in subsection
362(a) shall be
defined as follows:
(A) Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 6,
8, 9, and 10: Beginning the first Saturday in December and extending through
the first Sunday in February.
(B)
Zone 5: Beginning the third Saturday in December and extending through the
third Sunday in February.
(C) Zone
7: Beginning the third Saturday in August and extending through the last Sunday
in September.
(5) Except
as specifically provided in section
362, the take of bighorn sheep is
prohibited.
(c) Bag and possession Limit: One mature ram defined as follows: a male Nelson bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) having at least one horn, the tip of which extends beyond a point in a straight line beginning at the front (anterior) edge of the horn base, and extending downward through the rear (posterior) edge of the visible portion of the eye and continuing downward through the horn. All reference points are based on viewing the ram directly from a 90 degree angle from which the head is facing. A diagram showing the correct viewing procedure shall be distributed by the department to each successful applicant.
(d) Number of License Tags:
| Nelson Bighorn Sheep Hunt Zones | Tag Allocation |
| Zone 1 -- Marble/Clipper Mountains | 1 |
| Zone 2 -- Kelso Peak/Old Dad Mountains | 2 |
| Zone 3 -- Clark/Kingston Mountain Ranges | 3 |
| Zone 4 -- Orocopia Mountains | 1 |
| Zone 5 -- San Gorgonio Wilderness | 0 |
| Zone 6 -- Sheep Hole Mountains | 1 |
| Zone 7 -- White Mountains | 4 |
| Zone 8 -- South Bristol Mountains | 1 |
| Zone 9 -- Cady Mountains | 2 |
| Zone 10 -- Newberry, Rodman, Ord Mountains | 6 |
| Open Zone Fundraising Tag | 1 |
| Marble/Clipper/South Bristol Mountains Fundraising Tag | 0 |
| Cady Mountains Fundraising Tag | 1 |
| Total: | 23 |
(e) Conditions:
(1) Nelson bighorn rams shall only be taken
between one-half hour before sunrise and one-half hour after sunset.
(2) Only methods specified in sections
353 and
354, Title 14, CCR, for taking
bighorn sheep may be used.
(3) Each
tagholder shall possess a spotting telescope capable of magnification of 15
power (15X), which is not affixed to a rifle, while hunting.
(4) Successful general tagholders shall
present the head and edible portion of the carcass of a bighorn ram to the
department's checking station within 48 hours after killing the animal. All
successful tagholders shall notify the department's Bishop office by telephone
at (760) 872-1171 or (760) 872-1346 within 24 hours of killing the animal and
arrange for the head and carcass to be examined.
(5) All successful bighorn sheep tagholders
shall make the horns of each ram available to the department to be permanently
marked in the manner prescribed by the department for identification purposes
within 48 hours of killing the animal. The purpose of the permanent marking
shall be to identify Nelson bighorn rams which were legally taken and which may
be transported and possessed outside the areas described in subsection
362(a).
(6) The department reserves the right to take
and use any part of the tagholder's bighorn ram, except the horns, for
biological analysis as long as no more than one pound of edible meat is
removed.
Note: Authority cited: Sections 200, 203, 203.1, 265, 1050 and 4902, Fish and Game Code. Reference: Sections 1050, 3950 and 4902, Fish and Game Code.
Note: Authority cited: Sections 200, 203, 265, 1050 and 4902, Fish and Game Code. Reference: Sections 1050, 3950 and 4902, Fish and Game Code.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. California may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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