Don't quote me on this but it is my understanding that you can only open/carry on BLM land

I looked up California open carry law (repealed by penal code 26350) Here is the web address www.shouselaw.com/open-carry.html

In "unincorporated lands". I wouldn't carry in town but no one will bother you out in the hills or on a claim.

You always run the risk of encountering the wrong LEO at the wrong time anywhere in CA.
My suggestion is to not open carry, but, not not carrying is out of the question. Doesn't leave a person with many options. Carrying from one location to another location for the purposes of recreational shooting is however permissible if I remember correctly according to the latest laws in CA. Defined intentions define the enforcement then by that definition. You would be traveling to the BLM to shoot, recreate, and possibly prospect.

Go to the California Office of Attorney Generals web page and under Firearm's tab you'll have your answer. Looks to be California is a no carry state without a permit, including unloaded firearms.

If your that scared 1) you shouldn't carry a gun, 2) because you see a wild animal you don't need to shoot it, 3) people are not out there to bother you, 4) bears very very very rarely attack 5) if you fire a gun better make sure nobody else is around, because errant bullets kill people. I have been playing in these woods for 40 years, have never felt any danger from animals and I have seen Mountain lions, bears a plenty, bob cats, rattlesnakes, just kept my distance. It would be the one you don't see, that you wouldn't have time to draw a gun, take off the safety and not shoot anybody else. I am not anti gun, I feel just safer with the wild animals than I do with a person with a gun. Anyways there plenty o' gold to be found in Plumas county, happy gold hunting.

Rollie I often prospect in Plumas County and when alone, and well off the road, I often open carry a handgun. State law prohibits this but I'll take my chances that the LEO has more common sense then the politicians that passed the law. The odds of being attacked by a dangerous animal are remote at best but it does happen every now and then.

Wont speak to Plumas county,
In El Dorado NF I encountered and approached a Fish N Wildlife Ofc.
Asking about open carry and his definition
He became very intent of my intentions and do I have a weapon
My response, yes I have a weapon...locked up in the tool box in the truck bed
Keeping in mind, we are miles from anywhere
After I said that, his whole demeanor changed, he was very pleasant and informative
His definition of open carry,
HAS TO BE VISIBLE .
Your shirt, coat,pants, poncho ect cannot cover in any way
Cannot carry in your backpack, strapped to the outside OK, visible
Bottom line, stay in bounds when transporting and carry
Their (LEO) attitude is based on your attitude

Bill

I always carry out in the bush... (but not in town!!! )

As for my experiences far out off the beaten track....Prospecting ~ Yes, I have had nose to nose encounters with big cats and also bears !!! It was those encounters years ago that convinced me it would be wise to get a sidearm. So far I have never had to use my sidearm in self defense! My Rule #1: I always remember this is their home... And I am only a visitor !!!! Rule #1: I try to be noisy so All animals Bears Cats snakes etc... All know that a human is out there and I found they will avoid you 99% of the time.

And for that 1% it’s nice to know that you can deter almost every tense situation ~ with a big Noise and only then if really needed.... as a very last resort you can defend yourself.

As we all know.... we already carry a lot of gear without adding a weapon and Ammo... But the few pounds added to your body is magnified by feeling less venerable in way off remote areas ~ that in itself... is a ton of weight off your shoulders!

As for the Weapon visibility? it has big Rubber Day-glow Yellow Grips ! (First: if it ever did get dropped it is very easy to spot!!) and Second: For Rangers , Wardens it is easy to see in my shoulder-harness...

I have never had any negative issues!

Mr. Panelli,

I go up to Graeagle every year and have been prospecting for 10+ years, but just now joined the GPAA for more land access. First thing I've discovered is the GPAA doesn't seem to update their claim info (Active/Inactive), and a lot of the coordinate info is wrong. I'll be in Graeagle late June and looking to swing my GM 1000 and crevice. The only spot close I found was the Grizzly claim near Lake Davis, but after reading posts it appears to have expired? Any thoughts on where I can go close to Graeagle?

Thanks,

John

P.s.- I'm legally allowed to carry and choose not to for the very reason's you stated, so thanks for speaking up.

Mr. Thane

Thank you for speaking up also. The GPAA claims in Plumas County are mostly closer to Quincy, ca. There are Two claims that are active on the Little Grizzly Cr. Access through Davis lake on a dirt road. It is called Walker Mine rd. Or you have to go all the way around through Taylorsville, Ca. A shorter dirt rd. to access claims Walker lake rd. The lost Lepprecon 1 & 2, Lucky 13 claims have been productive. These are accessed off Bucks lake rd. to dirt rds. Slate cr. rd. These rds. generally are in good shape. There is another claim a few miles further up Bucks lake rd. With fairly easy access. But right off hand can't think of the name. If you go on to the properties put in state and county it will show you these claims and help with direction. There are a few others. The are none close to Greaeagle without driving, to my knowledge these claims are active. Happy Prospecting.

Thanks for the help!

[quote]
Posted By <a href='https://www.goldprospectors.org/AccountPreferences/userid/2937456' class='af-profile-link'>ROLLIE BRUNZLICK</a> on 26 Apr 2020 01:02 PM
Does anyone by chance know if it is legal to open carry in Plumas County California? Personal protection from mountain lions, bears and two legged animals in the remote mountainous areas of claims would be nice.
[/quote]

There's lots of confusion.

Statewide, California banned "open carry". Permits are needed for concealed carry (and are difficult to get, but if you get one, it's good in each of the 58 counties). California has no concealed carry reciprocity with any other state.

On my claim in Sierra County, as soon as I get off the highway and onto National Forest jurisdiction (I believe the incursion needs to be more than 100 feet), I stop and put the holster on, etc. Coming back out, the hardware goes into lawful storage before I hit the highway again.

The law says you can carry concealed while traveling if you are going to camp at a campground (but you can't transport loaded - wait, what?!?), then it also says that if you transport your handgun unloaded in a locked container, it's not construed as carrying concealed. That seems off-topic to me, but I'd rather err on the conservative side and transport unloaded in a locked container. I wouldn't risk transporting concealed and loaded without a Concealed Carry Permit. When you are camping in a campground, it is considered to temporarily be part of your home.

If you transport a semi-automatic, you'll need to have your magazines in a separate locked container. It isn't enough to have the weapon unloaded in a locked container; if that locked container also includes one or more loaded magazines, you face the possibility of being charged with a crime. The same goes for boxed and/or loose ammo, even if it is for a different caliber of weapon than you are transporting. Your ammo really should be in a separate locked container.

The law is silent on whether nested locked containers are acceptable. Conceivably, the trunk of a car can be construed to be a locked container; having an unloaded weapon in a locked container and your ammunition in a separate locked container and having both of those locked containers in the trunk of your car is technically a violation. I'd be really surprised if anyone were to get prosecuted for transporting in that manner. Transporting in a pick-up truck or on a motorcycle gets pretty interesting, because you don't normally have a lockable trunk in those situations.

The law is also silent on where the keys need to be. Apparently, you can drive on the highway with your two locked containers (one for a weapon and one for ammunition) on the seat next to you and leave the keys in the locks for ease of access. The containers are still technically locked, so you should (technically) be in compliance with the law. There are vehicle-mounted gun safes that will unlock both compartments with one unlocking action.

I have no experience in carrying weapons on BLM land, so I don't know how to answer for that jurisdiction.

About 20 years ago, I was in Downieville and asked a man in uniform (I now think he was a game warden) if there was any safe place where I could set up a cardboard box with some targets taped to it. I wanted to get some shooting in with my young son. The officer told me I should go where he goes - out near the local transfer station. It turned out that his advice was wrong - the transfer station was in National Forest land, and their rules prohibit shooting across any roadway (which is what he recommended). I have no doubt it would have been safe enough, but I didn't want to face getting a ticket from a Forrest Ranger. The take-away from that was that you are better off to read the laws (and regulations) for yourself, rather than to trust the word of an officer (or a stranger like me, for that matter).

What I have noticed is that law enforcement officers tend to be uptight about firearms in the urban jurisdictions, and more rational about firearms in the rural, agricultural and wilderness areas of California. They understand that there often is no cell service and even if you can find the local 'land line' (and the owner will let you use it), their response time may be measured in hours - even if they're not busy. I'm pretty sure they'd rather yell at you for doing it wrong, rather than picking up what's left of you and throwing it into a body bag.

As has been posted elsewhere in this thread, just because you have a weapon, doesn't mean you have to use it. I've backpacked for hundreds of miles, and finally stopped carrying a side arm - they weigh too much, which translates into extra blisters. I went over to carrying a hunting slingshot (it turns out that you need to practice with those things!). At my claim, I had a rifle, a shotgun and a revolver; each was for use at different times of the day or night, depending on how far I could see. Fortunately, I've never had to use any of them. About four or five years ago, I was at my claim when I heard gun shots - ten of them. Then I heard ten more. I toyed with the idea of answering they with my shotgun, but I didn't. They apparently left after shooting 20 rounds and I never saw them.

One other tip: if you want to have weapons in riparian environments, go with stainless steel (rather than blued steel). My shotgun got a lot of surface rust because I camped near the creek while I was at my claim. It was tedious to remove.

Great post Kurt. I would like to add one note to the issue of leaving the keys in the locked cases. I think it is much easier to use the TSA 3 or 4 number combination locks, with the flexible wire loop, and leaving the combination selected. This way all that is needed to open the "locked" case is to press the button on the lock. Very quick access. If you were stopped and the officer wanted to see what was in the locked case, you can go through the motion of rotating one of the numbers back to the original setting, and then opening the case for his inspection. There is a very slim to none chance that he will actually take the case from your personal possession and try to open it himself.

[quote]
Posted By Leo Lorenz on 06 Jun 2020 12:22 PM
Great post Kurt. I would like to add one note to the issue of leaving the keys in the locked cases. I think it is much easier to use the TSA 3 or 4 number combination locks, with the flexible wire loop, and leaving the combination selected. This way all that is needed to open the "locked" case is to press the button on the lock. Very quick access. If you were stopped and the officer wanted to see what was in the locked case, you can go through the motion of rotating one of the numbers back to the original setting, and then opening the case for his inspection. There is a very slim to none chance that he will actually take the case from your personal possession and try to open it himself.
[/quote]
I hadn't thought of that. I suppose it would work.
I think I'll stay with keyed locks - which I can operate in the dark or without looking at them.
Thanks for the suggestion.

As far as night or dark if you leave the lock set with the combination.....it still is just a matter of pressing the button and the lock opens. No fumbling with keys.

My experiences on/near my claims has revealed bear and mountain lion encounters on each visit over the last two years; however, there’s so many available food sources (deer, fawns, etc.) that you should have nothing to worry about. My encounters = critters preferred to avoid humans. I enjoy seeing them...from a distance.

One of my attorneys told me he was at his claim around Downieville years ago when he lost a good black lab to a mountain lion. The cat killed the dog while the dog was sleeping under his truck; the attorney was sleeping under the canopy in the back of his truck. He made a scene with the local authorities and a federal hunter came out to kill the big cat. A necropsy revealed the the cat was unhealthy for some reason, and apparently chose the dog rather than its usual prey.

Downieville's in the news again just recently. Seems a man was out 4-wheelin' with his 15-year-old son and was shot and killed. The kid spent 30 hours in the back country before being rescued. A suspect has been arrested and apparently was involved in a couple of other recent assaults. I'd be real interested to learn what led up to that confrontation. I doubt it was anything related to a gold claim, but it might have been (it wouldn't surprise me to find out the guy was protecting an illegal growing operation or a meth lab).

The predators are out there, no doubt. Don't be a victim.

I would suggest to all you folks that if you are having issues with to carry or not to carry then stay home !! I do not give a hoot who you think you are ,,I WILL CARRY and I will use what I have to too be safe . NO piss-ant is going to dictate to me that I can not protect those around me , myself , or property !! Somewhere in life you need to get a grip on things ! DO YOU FEEL SO INSECURE IN LIFE , THAT YOU NEED SOME FOOL GUIDE EVERY STEP OF YOUR EXISTENCE !! GROW A SET !! I might add that I am not telling anyone to be disrespectful of laws,,but when the laws infringe on your RIGHTS thats when we have issues . YOU HAVE THE RIGHTS TO ''LIFE , LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUET OF HAPPINESS ! YOU have the right to protect yourself at any cost ! AS long as these crack-heads you call politicans run your life this is what you get . NO ONE BUT YOU << WILL PROTECT YOU ! I say that you need too use common sense in what you do ! If you do not want problems with THE MAN then be the subservient one they want you to be .. PACK-EM IF YA GOT-EM ! they do NO good in the trunk of your car . Just stay out of their CITY LIMITS with what ya got ! As Ben Franklin said ;; Those who forsake their essential liberty for security deserve neither liberty nor security !!