Service · Farm Protection
Farm protection in the Imperial Valley and San Diego County
On this page
How it works
- You send a request with the form below, or message me through YouTube, Facebook or Instagram.
- I call you back to ask about the property and the problem, and set a time for a visit.
- Scouting visit, about 20 minutes, no shooting. We walk the property, mark buildings, livestock, roads and backstops, and sign three short forms: permission, a filming release and a safety plan.
- Removal sessions on days that suit you, in daylight, following the safety plan.
- You get the video and a written field report with the count, species and dates. I come back whenever the birds or squirrels build up again.
What I remove, and why it's legal
| Animal | California rule | Where they cause damage |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic (feral) pigeons, European starlings, house sparrows | May be taken at any time and in any number (14 CCR Section 472). Banded homing pigeons are left alone | Dairies, feedlots, barns, feed and grain storage |
| Norway rats and roof rats | Rodents may be taken at any time and in any number (14 CCR Section 472), except tree and flying squirrels, furbearers and listed species. Native woodrats and kangaroo rats are left alone | Dairies, feedlots, barns, calf hutches, feed and grain storage |
| Eurasian collared doves | Non-native; all-year season with no limit (14 CCR Section 300) | Farmyards, feedlots, groves |
| California ground squirrels | Nongame mammal; an agent with written permission may take them when they damage crops or property (Fish and Game Code Section 4152) | Orchards, pastures, berms, field edges |
| Black-tailed jackrabbits | Same written-permission rule (Fish and Game Code Section 4152) | Alfalfa, hay and vegetable fields |
| Cottontails | May be taken any time while crops or forage are being damaged, with the owner's or tenant's written authority (Fish and Game Code Section 4186) | Groves, gardens, field edges |
| Coyotes | May be taken at any time and in any number (14 CCR Section 472); an agent with written permission may take them when they injure livestock or property (Fish and Game Code Section 4152). Daylight only, big-bore air rifle, open ground | Calving pens, sheep and goat pastures, poultry yards |
This is a summary of the regulation text linked in Sources, not legal advice. Mourning doves and other native birds are never taken; they're federally protected.
Rats on dairies, feedlots and farms
California has two introduced rats that live around people. Norway rats are big, stocky burrowers that dig along foundations and under woodpiles and feed. Roof rats are smaller climbers that nest up high, in trees, dense vegetation and the upper parts of buildings. Both eat and foul feed, gnaw wiring, wood and insulation, and can carry diseases such as leptospirosis to people, pets and livestock. Norway rats can also undermine slabs and foundations (UC IPM).
Here's how rat work fits the rest of this service:
- Daylight only. Rats are mostly active at night, and people rarely see them except where an infestation is heavy (UC IPM). I don't use night vision or thermal, so I'm most useful where rats are out by day around feed bunks, commodity barns, calf hutches and grain storage.
- Low power, solid backstops. In and near buildings I shoot low-power pellets into dirt, bales or other solid backstops, never toward roofs, metal or concrete, and never toward livestock or people.
- No poison. Rodent baits are toxic to dogs and cats, and a poisoned rat can carry several lethal doses to the pets and wildlife that eat it (UC IPM). Shooting leaves nothing behind for barn cats, dogs or owls.
- Every rat picked up. Carcasses are collected with gloves and bagged or buried, the way you prefer.
- Only Norway and roof rats. They have scaly, nearly hairless tails; native woodrats have furry tails (UC IPM). Woodrats and kangaroo rats are never taken. Stephens' kangaroo rat, found in western and central San Diego County, is federally threatened (USFWS).
Shooting removes the rats you can see, but it won't keep a property clear on its own. It works best alongside sealed feed storage, cleaning up spilled grain and closing gaps into buildings.
Where I work
Imperial Valley: Brawley, Imperial, El Centro, Calipatria, Holtville and Westmorland, on dairies, cattle feedlots, alfalfa and vegetable farms, equestrian barns, and sheep, goat and calving ground. Rural San Diego County: Fallbrook, Valley Center and Pauma Valley groves; Ramona, Jamul, Dulzura, Campo and Boulevard ranches and vineyards; and Borrego Springs farms.
I don't shoot inside city limits or on suburban lots. California bars hunting within 150 yards of any occupied home, or its barn or outbuilding, without that occupant's permission (Fish and Game Code Section 3004), and many cities ban air guns outright. If a neighbor's house is within 150 yards of where we'd shoot, I'll need their permission too.
San Diego County: the county bans air guns in its mapped no-shooting zones (County Code Section 33.104), which cover parts of Fallbrook, Ramona, Escondido, Jamul and Otay. I check every property against the Sheriff's shooting-regulations map before the first visit.
What invasive birds and squirrels cost a farm
| Operation | Documented loss | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy | About $55 per cow per year in feed eaten by birds, roughly $54,500 a year for a 1,000-cow dairy. 90% of the dairies surveyed already shoot birds themselves | Washington State dairy survey, PLOS ONE (2019) |
| Dairy and feedlot | 1,000 starlings using a feedlot for 60 days eat about 1.5 tons of feed. Herds near large flocks had vet costs of $91 vs $66 per cow per year, and a Salmonella outbreak averages $4,000 per farm | USDA APHIS Wildlife Services |
| Wine grapes | About $100 per acre a year lost to birds in California, $49.1 million statewide | Five-state grower survey (2011) |
| Alfalfa and hay | About $45 to $121 per acre a year from ground squirrels, plus equipment damage | Whisson et al., northeastern California |
Removal works best as part of a plan. Shooting alone won't clear a large starling roost or a big squirrel colony, so every property gets a written plan that pairs removal with the fixes that stop birds and squirrels coming back: feed and water access, roost and nest spots, and burrow areas along berms and ditches.
Who I work with
- Dairies, cattle feedlots and calf ranches: starlings and pigeons in feed bunks and commodity barns
- Egg and poultry ranches: sparrows and pigeons around houses and feed lines
- Packing, cooling and shipping sheds, feed mills and hay barns: pigeons on rafters and stored product
- Vineyards and wineries: starlings and collared doves at harvest, squirrels in irrigation lines
- Avocado, citrus and date groves: ground squirrels girdling trees and chewing drip lines
- Nurseries and greenhouses: birds and squirrels in stock and irrigation
- Equestrian centers, sheep and goat ranches: ground squirrel holes in pastures and arenas, coyotes near young stock
Why air rifles
Farm protection is mostly about what doesn't get hit. A precision air rifle is far quieter than a firearm, so livestock and neighbors barely notice, and a pellet carries a fraction of a bullet's energy and range. That makes it the right tool around barns, feed bunks and equipment. Here's how I keep collateral damage at zero:
- Power matched to the place. Near buildings and animals I shoot pellets at low power into solid backstops. Full-power slugs, and the big-bore rifle for coyotes, are only for open ground with dirt behind the animal. See my airgun FPE chart for the energy each animal needs.
- No shots toward roofs, metal or concrete, where pellets bounce.
- Every shot is recorded through a scope camera, so there's a record of exactly where the rifle was pointed.
- Lead-free isn't required for air rifles in California, since CDFW doesn't treat pellet rifles as firearms. Carcasses are disposed of the way you ask.
The rules I follow on every property
- Written permission from the owner or tenant, carried on me the whole time
- A California hunting license on me at all times
- Daylight only, with no night vision or thermal (Fish and Game Code Section 2005)
- No trapping, no poison, no pesticides
- Nothing taken is ever sold
- A written safety plan, checked before every session
Filming and your privacy
The work is filmed for the Golden Guns Outdoors Hunting channel: a scope camera on the rifle and a camera on me. Before anything is filmed, we sign a short release that keeps your address, house numbers and license plates off camera. You decide whether you appear on screen and whether you're named or thanked. If you'd like a shout-out for your farm or business, that's yours to choose.
Field reports from each property will be published on this site as the work happens, with the dates, species, counts and distances. That's first-hand data you won't find anywhere else.
Request a visit
Tell me about the property and the problem. I'll call you back to set up a scouting visit.
FAQ
What does farm protection cost?
The first scouting visit is at no charge: about 20 minutes, no shooting, to walk the property and plan the work. Removal sessions are scheduled after that visit, and I film the work for my YouTube channel only with your OK. Nothing I take is ever sold, which California law forbids for rabbits taken on damaged land anyway (Fish and Game Code Section 4186).
What animals do you remove?
Domestic (feral) pigeons, European starlings, house sparrows, Eurasian collared doves, Norway and roof rats, California ground squirrels, black-tailed jackrabbits, cottontails that are damaging crops or forage, and coyotes. California lets pigeons, starlings, house sparrows, rats and other rodents, coyotes and opossums be taken at any time and in any number (14 CCR Section 472), and lets an agent with the owner's written permission take ground squirrels, coyotes and jackrabbits that are injuring crops or other property (Fish and Game Code Section 4152), and cottontails (Fish and Game Code Section 4186). Native woodrats and kangaroo rats are never taken.
Where do you work?
Farms, dairies, feedlots, groves and ranches in the Imperial Valley (Brawley, Imperial, El Centro, Calipatria, Holtville, Westmorland) and rural San Diego County (Fallbrook, Valley Center, Ramona, Jamul, Campo, Borrego Springs and similar areas). I don't shoot inside city limits or on suburban lots.
Can you come to my house in town?
Usually not. Cities commonly ban discharging air guns, and California law bars hunting within 150 yards of any occupied home or its outbuildings without that occupant's permission (Fish and Game Code Section 3004), which rules out most town lots. If you know a farmer or rancher with the same problem, I'd be glad to help them.
Is it safe around livestock and buildings?
Every property gets a written safety plan before the first shot: buildings, livestock, roads, people and backstops are mapped, and no-shoot directions are marked. Near barns and animals I use pellets at low power and shoot only into solid backstops, never toward roofs, metal or concrete.
Do you work at night or use thermal?
No. California bans night vision equipment for taking almost any animal (Fish and Game Code Section 2005), and its landowner exception doesn't cover a volunteer. All work is in daylight.
Do you remove coyotes?
Yes, in daylight and in open ground. Coyotes may be taken year-round in any number in California (14 CCR Section 472), and an agent with written permission may take them when they're injuring livestock or other property (Fish and Game Code Section 4152). Coyote work uses a big-bore air rifle, since the airgun FPE chart puts coyotes at roughly 40 to 100 foot-pounds of energy, and only close, broadside shots with a dirt backstop, well away from buildings and livestock. No night hunting and no thermal: California's night vision ban (Fish and Game Code Section 2005) doesn't make an exception for a volunteer.
Will my farm be identified in the video?
Only if you want it to be. A filming release sets the rules before we start: no address, house numbers or license plates on camera, and you decide whether you appear or are named.
Do you trap or use poison?
No. Shooting only, so there's no rat bait around your feed, dogs or barn cats. Trapping and pesticide work for other people bring separate licensing, and I don't do either.
What paperwork is involved?
Three short forms, signed at a 20-minute scouting visit: a permission and access letter (your written authority under Fish and Game Code Section 4152 and Section 4186, and the 150-yard permission under Section 3004), a filming and location release, and a safety plan for your property.
Sources
- UC IPM Pest Notes: Rats (Publication 74106)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Stephens' kangaroo rat
- Elser et al. (2019), bird damage and control costs on Washington dairies, PLOS ONE
- USDA APHIS Wildlife Services: European starlings, Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series
- Bird damage to fruit crops: 2011 five-state grower survey (ASHS)
- Whisson et al.: ground squirrel damage and control costs in alfalfa
- San Diego County Sheriff: shooting regulations map (County Code Section 33.104 zones)
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, Section 472: nongame birds and mammals that may be taken (Cornell LII)
- California Fish and Game Code Section 4152: nongame mammals and jackrabbits injuring crops or property
- California Fish and Game Code Section 4186: cottontails and brush rabbits damaging crops
- California Fish and Game Code Section 3004: hunting within 150 yards of an occupied dwelling
- California Fish and Game Code Section 2005: night vision and artificial light
- CDFW: Nonlead ammunition in California (pellet rifles are not firearms)
