(CDFW North Central Region 2)
California hunting license sales have declined steadily from 767,149 in 1970 to 260,685 in 2023. A leading cause of this decline is the loss of hunting opportunities and access. To help reverse this trend and to recruit, retain, and reintroduce hunters to the field, CWA developed a program based upon the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s lottery system for hunting on public lands. Through CWA’s relationship with private landowners, the program has created access to private and public lands and is identified as the California Waterfowl Hunt Program. The program has grown steadily over the past 15 years and now includes almost 40 individual properties encompassing over 60,000 acres. Since its inception in 2009, over 25,000 hunters have participated in the program with hundreds of landowners and volunteers providing in-kind services (donating, hosting, guiding hunts, etc.) and access to high quality hunting opportunities being made available to the public. The program currently hosts waterfowl, pheasant, quail, dove, deer, turkey and pig hunts. Applicants have an extensive variety of hunts to choose from which include access to some of the most prestigious and exclusive hunting properties in the country. Hunt locations range from the Klamath Basin in Northern California to the San Jacinto Valley in Southern California.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife outlined in the 2019 California Hunting and Fishing Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation Action Plan that access and opportunity were among the eight topics of interest. Specifically: “Participation in hunting and fishing is limited by many types of access barriers. Access barriers include anything that prevents or obstructs participation. Opportunity barriers include circumstances that make it impossible to participate. Having access to fishing and hunting opportunities is contingent on addressing multiple types of barriers within both. For example, some opportunity barriers are physical or related to resources, like having access to land and water, technical equipment and the training or skill required for participation.” - CDFW R3 Action Plan
CWA will hire a Novice Turkey Hunt Coordinator to coordinate, manage, and execute a public novice turkey hunt program at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, specifically at the Sacramento and Delevan National Wildlife Refuges. This program is a collaboration between the Sacramento NWR Complex and California Waterfowl, aimed at implementing spring turkey hunts for novice hunters. The goal is to provide a high-quality and educational hunting experience. Each novice hunter will be paired with an experienced mentor for two days of turkey hunting on the Sacramento or Delevan Wildlife Refuges. The coordinator will work closely CWA staff and Sacramento NWR Complex staff to perform
various tasks, including conducting draws, website design, scouting hunting areas, setting up blinds, contacting and screening drawn hunters, communicating with volunteers, installing signage, checking in hunters and volunteers on the day of the hunt, conducting hunter safety meetings and assisting refuge staff with miscellaneous tasks and projects around the complex.
Project Proposal (PDF)