What are California's rules for training dogs on pheasant and chukar?

Upland dog owners ask the same question every fall: can I train on planted birds, and what do I need? The answer lives in one short regulation. This page walks through it in plain English and points you to the sources, so you can ask the right questions of any preserve or club.

What section 677 allows

The text on Cornell's Legal Information Institute (pulled October 27, 2026) says dogs may be trained to retrieve, point or flush game birds, and may take part in field trials or similar events, during daylight, if no wild birds are captured, injured or killed. Dogs may not pursue birds with special protection under state or federal law.

Training hours run from sunrise to sunset. Because rules are amended, treat this page as a map and read the regulation itself, or ask CDFW, before you plan a session.

Which released birds are named

The regulation lists the species that can be released for this purpose. Wild birds are different: a dog on a public wildlife area is covered by that area's rules, not by section 677, so check the area's page and the CDFW regulations booklet first.

• Bobwhite quail and coturnix quail
• Domestic pigeons
• Domestically reared pheasants
• Chukar
• Hungarian partridge
• Captive-reared mallard ducks

Licenses, stamps and seal tags

Anyone taking domestically reared game birds needs a valid California hunting license. Anyone other than a junior license holder taking Hungarian partridge, pheasant or chukar also needs an Upland Game Bird Stamp, according to the regulation.

Each pheasant and chukar carcass has to carry a seal tag under Fish and Game Code section 3206. Bobwhite and coturnix quail carcasses do not need tags. In the field, birds must stay identifiable by species.

Domestically reared game birds generally may be taken only on the day they are released, with an exception for quail released for training or trials.

Hunt tests and field trials

Organizers of organized field trials or hunt tests that release birds must notify the CDFW regional office for the release area at least three business days in advance. The notice includes the provider's contact details, location, approximate number of birds by species, approximate number of participants and the date and time.

That is the club's job, not the entrant's, but it explains why upland events are scheduled well ahead. See the California hunt test calendar for how to find events.

Training birds and the general season

Training birds and the general hunting season are separate things. For 2026-27 CDFW lists the general pheasant season as November 14 to December 27 and chukar as October 17 to January 31 (checked October 27, 2026). Private preserves run their own seasons; the Hastings Island Hunting Preserve describes its season as mid-September to mid-March on its website. See training at Hastings Island.

If you are choosing a place to work a pointing dog, ask the operator what birds they release, how they handle seal tags and what hours they use. Richard has trained pointers and other upland breeds since 2013; for a pointing dog, see Formal Gun Dog Training, which is $325 a week plus birds.