Los Angeles to Rio Vista: the long way to a bird dog

Los Angeles is the largest city in California, with about 3.86 million residents and a median age of 37.2 (Census Bureau). Hunting happens outside the city, so most Los Angeles owners already travel for their birds.

Almost seven hours

The road distance is about 367 miles, and OpenStreetMap routing puts it at about 6.8 hours with no traffic. Los Angeles traffic and the Grapevine will add to that. This is the overnight tier, a long day each way.

Dogs come to Richard from all over California, so a long trip is a normal part of board-and-train. For Richard, call about drop-off and pick-up from Southern California.

What CDFW lists for Southern California

For the Southern California Zone, CDFW lists 2026-27 ducks Oct 24 to Jan 31, scaup Nov 7 to Jan 31 and geese Oct 24 to Jan 31. Confirm Los Angeles County's zone on the CDFW zone map before you plan around those dates.

The statewide picture is on our seasons page.

How a Southern California owner can plan it

The dog stays at Hastings Island during the work, so there are no repeat trips. The board-and-train page has the overview.

1. Call Richard and describe the dog, its age and your hunting.
2. Decide with him on the program and the timing; lengths and weekly rates are published.
3. Travel north once for drop-off. Ask whether pick-up and a lesson can share a trip.
4. Learn the dog's commands in a handler lesson, then drive home together.

Clubs in the Los Angeles area

The Southern California Retriever Club lists field trials near Niland in Imperial County, and the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Southern California and the Vizsla Club of Southern California list events at Camp H in California City, all on the 2026 calendar. Verify any date through AKC Event Search or the club.

Read about German Shorthaired Pointers and Vizslas if you own one.

Hours to keep in mind

Google lists Richard's hours as 8 AM to 2 PM Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday. Call first; he sets drop-off times by phone and prefers Wednesday to Saturday. With nearly seven hours of driving, plan your arrival with Richard rather than dropping in.

Los Angeles County residents also hunt out of state and abroad, and a dog trained for a California season carries those skills elsewhere. Ask Richard how the training would fit your own hunting calendar.