News Room

California hunters can now purchase hunting licenses for the 2022-23 season, as well as apply for the Big Game Drawing online. Californians have many options to bring home wild game for their dinner table, and at this time, the current COVID-19 pandemic is not expected to lead to the closure or delay of any hunting seasons.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is now offering public fishing opportunities through the Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) program.

A Tehama County man has pleaded guilty to deer poaching charges stemming from an August 2020 poaching investigation. Kaden Pearce, 23, of Red Bluff, killed a large buck (male deer) in a local walnut orchard where he did not have legal permission to hunt. He then falsified the location information when he reported the deer harvest on his deer tag as required by hunting regulations.

Hunters can soon participate in no-fee waterfowl hunts amid restored salt ponds at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve (ELER) in Hayward. Access to ELER will be open to 100 hunters on a first-come, first-served basis.

November 2021 California Department of Fish and Wildlife Calendar

October 2021 California Department of Fish and Wildlife Calendar

California hunters and anglers have reason to celebrate Saturday, Sept. 25. Not only is it National Hunting and Fishing Day – a nationwide thank you to the contributions hunters and anglers make to fish and wildlife conservation – but California’s outdoor opportunities are opening up once again in time for peak fall hunting and fishing seasons.

September 2021 CDFW Calendar

August 2021 CDFW Calendar

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), will hold an online outreach meeting for licensed hunters to take comments and recommendations regarding hunting programs in the northern San Joaquin Valley. The meeting will include updates on habitat conditions, availability of water for wetlands during the current drought and possible impacts of the lingering global pandemic.