Any person who purchases a California Duck Validation and/or Upland Game Bird Validation is entitled by law to receive a collectible California Duck Stamp and/or Upland Game Bird Stamp upon request.
Why doesn’t CDFW automatically mail collectible Duck and Upland Game Bird Stamps to every hunter who purchases Duck and Upland Game Bird Validations?
Answer: It costs CDFW approximately $1 to print and mail each collectible stamp. CDFW expects to issue approximately 180,000 Upland Game Bird Validations and 70,000 California Duck Validations annually. The cost of printing and mailing stamps to all hunters could reach $250,000. Money spent to print and mail collectible stamps could possibly otherwise be used to manage waterfowl and upland game birds and to offer hunting opportunities to the public. Shipping stamps only to customers who request them online allows an opportunity for hunters who truly want collectible stamps to obtain them, and reduces waste of mailing collectible stamps to someone who does not desire them. More importantly, requiring hunters to claim the stamps online reduces printing costs and makes it easy for hunters to request stamps. This could allow more funding to be spent on wildlife management and hunting opportunities.
To receive your collectible stamp, you must request it online. Select “Online Sales”. Read the “Online License Sales - Before You Start” section and select “License Sales”. Enter your information as it appears on your hunting license. Complete each step as though you are purchasing a stamp. Because you qualify for a free collector’s stamp, the stamp will be displayed as a free item under the STAMPS section at the bottom of the hunting items selection page.
After you have made your selections, go to the cart and complete your transaction. Make sure you complete the transaction by selecting check out and select “submit payment” even if there is no fee for the items you have selected. You will not be charged for collectible stamps, but you will be charged for any other items you purchase in the same transaction. Your collectible Duck and Upland Game Bird Stamps will be mailed to you after June 30th.
An order form (PDF Form) is available for collectors who did not purchase hunting validations. Hunters may also use the order form (PDF Form) to purchase additional collectible stamps.