California Outdoors Q&A

Monarchs

Q: Do I need a permit to use monarch butterflies for educational purposes?

A: Yes, a Scientific Collecting Permit (SCP) is required to handle wild monarchs in California including for educational purposes. It is unlawful to collect, remove from the wild and/or captively rear monarchs in California without an SCP, per California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 14, section 650(a).

Monarchs offer a great opportunity for children and adults to learn about migration and metamorphosis. However, due to recent fluctuations in their overwintering numbers, removing caterpillars from the population could have negative impacts. In addition, captive rearing has been shown to spread disease and affect monarch’s migratory ability. Rather than collecting wild monarchs or purchasing commercially available caterpillars for use in the classroom, we recommend creating a monarch garden that incorporates native milkweed or flowering plants where students can watch natural processes unfold without bringing the species into captivity.

Here are a few conservation actions that don’t require a permit:

• Add native flowering plants to your garden or restoration project. For the highest impact use early and late blooming species.
• Plant native milkweed where appropriate.
• Double check that plants purchased from nurseries are pesticide free.
• Limit pesticide use especially when monarchs are in your area.
• Become a community scientist by volunteering to collect data on monarchs and milkweed. Consider participating in the following community science projects:
  • Western Monarch Genomics Project
  • Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper
  • Integrated Monarch Monitoring Project
  • Western Monarch Count

For more information visit CDFW’s Monarch Butterfly web page.

Hunter education

Q: I’m applying for an out-of-state hunt and they need my hunter safety certificate. I took my hunter safety course in 1993 and have no idea where it is. Can I get a copy?

A: You can contact a CDFW license sales office in your area or the Hunter Education Program at (916) 653-1235. If your information is in our student database, your online license sales profile will be updated so you can purchase a duplicate hunter education certificate. If your information is not in the student database, you will likely need to repeat the course. You may also try contacting the original instructor, club or organization where the course was taught to obtain a duplicate. If you are unable to obtain a duplicate certificate through these means, you’ll need to repeat the course.

For anyone who took a hunter education course after January 1, 2016, a duplicate certificate can be purchased through CDFW’s online sales and service portal, a licensed agent or a CDFW license sales office.

For more information visit CDFW’s Hunter Education web page.

Feeding deer

Q: I live in a rural neighborhood with a lot of deer and my neighbor thinks she’s keeping the deer healthy by putting out grain, apples and vegetable scraps. What can I tell my neighbor to dissuade her from feeding deer?

A: We appreciate you wanting to educate your neighbor. The situation you describe is a common challenge and it can be difficult to convince well-meaning people that efforts to help wildlife are potentially causing harm.

It is illegal in California to feed big game species including deer, per California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 251.3.

The idea that wild animals require supplemental feeding by humans is (except under very extreme environmental conditions) incorrect. Wild animals are typically capable of fending for themselves in their natural environments.

In the case of deer, “hand-outs” by well-meaning people can result in wildlife losing their natural fear of humans, vehicles and domesticated dogs. This familiarity can be dangerous and even deadly. Feeding deer brings them toward human activity and more deer are killed in vehicle collisions in California than are killed legally by hunters. A buck that has no fear of humans is more likely to be shot than a buck that has a healthy sense of self-preservation. Fawns that feed on human sources of food may lose their ability to forage naturally. Also, deer congregating together are more prone to the spread of disease. Additionally, deer that have been acclimated to humans can become aggressive and dangerous. In summary, deer are much better off when they are not drawn toward humans. So, despite the illegality of it, there are very few good (or ethical) reasons to feed deer! We hope this helps.

For more information visit CDFW’s Keep Me Wild page on living with deer.

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Photo credit: CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Krysta Rogers

Bird feeders

Q: In response to recent warnings about avian flu in wild birds, I have taken down my bird feeders and bird baths. When is it OK to put them back out?

A: Infection with avian influenza viruses among songbirds, including many common backyard birds, appears to be relatively rare. However, feeding and providing water to wild birds is generally discouraged because the increased congregation of wild birds at bird feeders and bird baths may lead to fecal contamination of the local environment, which can aid in disease transmission. While the risk of avian influenza to most songbird species appears low, there are other more common diseases, such as avian pox and avian trichomonosis, that periodically circulate among wild birds that may cause increased mortality during outbreaks. Rather than providing bird seed to wild birds, a healthier option would be to provide natural sources of food by landscaping with native plants, if possible. This will benefit wild birds and pollinators like butterflies and bees.

If you do choose to have bird feeders and bird baths, it is generally recommended that bird feeders and bird baths are thoroughly cleaned outdoors at least once a week, and more often if there is heavy use by birds. Disposable gloves should be worn and hands should be thoroughly washed after handling of bird feeders and bird baths. Please note, some pathogens can persist in water, on surfaces or in soil for hours to days, so even the most rigorous cleaning may not be enough to stop all disease transmission. If backyard chickens or other captive birds such as ducks, geese, pigeons, doves and parrots are present in the area, it’s strongly recommended not to have bird feeders and bird baths, and to exclude wild birds from accessing chicken feed and water.

Hunter education

Q: I recently completed my hunter education course. How do I obtain my hunter education certificate?

A: Currently, CDFW’s Hunter Education course is offered in three formats – traditional, hybrid and online. The traditional and hybrid courses include in-person instruction and testing. Those who successfully complete one of these courses will be issued a card-style hunter education certificate by the instructor. The online only course allows you to print out a paper certificate upon completion. Regardless of which course format you complete, a Hunter Education certificate on durable license paper can also be purchased through CDFW’s Online License Sales and Services webpage by following these steps: login, select “Purchase Licenses,” then select “Hunter Education,” and then “Hunter Education Certificate (Dup).” For additional information about both basic Hunter Education and Advanced Hunter Education, please visit CDFW's California Hunter Education web page.

You may also consider purchasing a lifetime license. There are two types: the lifetime fishing license and lifetime hunting license. To learn more, visit CDFW’s Lifetime Licensing web page.

Welcome to the ranks of California hunters! We wish you many memorable and successful seasons ahead.

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Crabbing regulations

Q: I have a few questions about the new trap regulations for recreational crabbing that took effect on November 1. Why the new regulations? Where can I find information about the new requirements for marker buoys, main buoys and validations?

A: We appreciate your interest in keeping up to date on recreational crabbing regulations. The new regulations are spelled out in California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 14, sections 29.80 and 29.85. They were adopted to address entanglement risk in the recreational fishery and to minimize interaction potential with protected whales and sea turtles. The regulations establish a validation stamp requirement, trap limit, trap service interval, new trap marking requirements, and new authority for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to temporarily limit the use of crab traps in times of increased entanglement risk. A full background report and rationale is available on the California Fish and Game Commission’s website. You can find answers to the most commonly asked questions about the new regulations on our crab fishery web page.

Hunter education

Q: I was looking for information about hunting wild pigs in California and came across a YouTube video with wildlife officers providing just the information I needed! Are there other videos like this and if so, where can I find them?

A: It sounds like you watched a recording of CDFW’s Advanced Hunter Education (AHE) webinar titled “Wild Pig Hunting on Public Lands.” This webinar is one in a series of CDFW Advanced Hunter Education webinars which launched about a year ago. Each webinar is about an hour long and focuses on a particular hunting related topic. Some of the topics covered so far include turkey hunting 101, virtual scouting and Zone D11, D13 and D15 deer hunting opportunities. You can sign up to participate in upcoming webinars at wildlife.ca.gov/Hunter-Education/Advanced. Additionally, you can view recordings of prior webinars by searching for “AHE” titled videos on CDFW’s YouTube channel.

CDFW’s R3 (which stands for recruit, retain and reactivate) program also offers a virtual seminar series called the R3 Harvest Huddle Hour (R3H3). R3H3 seminars are focused on people new to hunting, fishing, foraging and shooting sports. You can register for these events by clicking on the calendar events listed on the R3 webpage. Past recordings can be found here. You may also find resources listed under the ‘hunting’ tab useful too, like this older guide on hunting pigs (PDF) in California.

Rattlesnakes

Q: I followed the news story about the Santa Rosa resident who found dozens of rattlesnakes under his home. Should I be worried about rattlesnakes under my house? Are rattlesnakes aggressive?

A: It’s perfectly natural, and perhaps even an innate human reaction, to feel worried when hearing a story about a California resident finding so many potentially dangerous snakes so close. In general, rattlesnakes are not aggressive. They avoid conflict to the best of their ability because they don’t want to risk injury or death in a battle or to waste venom by biting something that isn’t prey. The most familiar way rattlesnakes avoid conflict is signaling their presence by rattling and taking a defensive coiled posture when a potential threat gets too close for comfort. If left alone, they will move away from the threat, not toward it. A lot of bites occur when people are trying to kill or move rattlesnakes. However, not all bites involve envenomation. They will sometimes “dry bite” as a warning. Rattlesnakes are distributed broadly across the state but are typically found in open habitats like grasslands, savanna and desert, often in and around rock outcrops when available. When they are found in homes and yards, it’s usually along a wildland-urban interface. However, coming across a den under a house like the one in Santa Rosa is incredibly rare. It’s important to recognize that rattlesnakes don’t seek out or prefer to live near people, but they will den under a home if there is an abundance of prey and if it’s the best available habitat in an area. The Santa Rosa story is a good reminder that we should be mindful of our surroundings when we spend time outdoors and around our homes, especially during warmer weather. Residents can make their yards rattlesnake safe by removing objects that attract them and their prey. This can include keeping vegetation away from fences, removing piles of boards or rocks around the home and repairing any holes in vents or other potential access points. For more information on rattlesnakes in California, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Rattlesnakes.

Media contact:
Ken Paglia, CDFW Communications