Recreation
America’s disabled veterans get a break on the price of sport fishing and hunting licenses and are provided some special opportunities.
DFG offers reduced-fee hunting and fishing licenses to both resident and nonresident disabled veterans.
Any honorably discharged, disabled veteran with a 50 percent or greater service-connected disability who wants to hunt birds or mammals, or fish in California is eligible.
The 2011 Sport Fishing License (Reduced – Disabled Veteran) and Disabled Veteran Hunting License cost only $6.44 when purchased at DFG license counters.
Special hunting blinds have been constructed to be accessible to people with mobility impairments at some state wildlife areas and ecological reserves, and at some National Wildlife Refuges.
DFG also works with military installations on wildlife management and provides tags for those installations to issue to military personnel for deer and Tule elk hunting opportunities.
“We recognize the service, commitment and sacrifice of our veterans, military members and their families by offering special hunting opportunities when and where we can,” said Charlton H. Bonham, Director of DFG. “Veterans, and especially disabled American veterans, are all heroes who have accomplished the remarkable, often during the worst of times. For that, we are truly grateful.”
The first disabled hunting license must be purchased from a DFG License Sales Office. Proof of having taken a hunter safety course and certification from the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs or a copy of a previous year’s California Disabled Veteran Hunting License is required at the time of application.
These offices are located in Eureka, Fresno, Los Alamitos, Monterey, Napa, Rancho Cordova, Redding, Sacramento, San Diego and Stockton. Hours, addresses and phone numbers can be found on the DFG website at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/officelocation.html. Subsequent licenses may be purchased from any license agent or online.
Fish and Game Code, section 7150, authorizes DFG to issue Reduced-Fee Sport Fishing Licenses to anglers who meet specific criteria. Additional validations or cards are required for certain species and areas and must be purchased at the regular fee.
All California sport fishing licenses are valid Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 each year, and make excellent holiday gifts for veterans. The 2012 reduced-fee fishing license applications are on our website at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/sportfishingfreereduced.html.
Reduced-fee hunting license applications are at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/hunting/reducedfee.html (hunting licenses are valid July 1 through June 30).
Fishing and hunting regulations and more information about licenses are available on the DFG Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov.
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In response to continued declining pheasant harvest and hunter use, along with DFG’s costs to operate hunter check stations during the first week of pheasant season, DFG reduced the number of pheasant hunting opportunities available to upland game hunters last year.
Some of those reductions remain in place for 2011, but pheasant hunting will once again be offered in some locations on the first Monday of the season.
The pheasant season opens on the second Saturday of November (Nov. 12 this year) and the length of the season will remain the same (44 consecutive days long for the general season and 60 consecutive days for the archery season).
The following changes are in effect for the 2011 hunting season:
Type A wildlife areas in the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Delta (Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Delevan National Wildlife Refuge, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area, Yolo Wildlife Area and Grizzly Island Wildlife Area) will be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, and only the first Monday (Nov. 14) during the pheasant season.
Type A wildlife areas in the San Joaquin Valley (Los Banos Wildlife Area, Mendota Wildlife Area, North Grasslands Wildlife Area and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge) will be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays only during the pheasant season.
The Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area in Imperial County and San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside Countywill be closed to pheasant hunting this year.
Type C wildlife areas will remain open as normal.
The modifications of the shoot days on Type A wildlife areas are pursuant to subsections 550(b)(1) and 550(b)(2) of the California Code of Regulations Title 14.
Reports and publications on pheasant harvest can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/uplandgame.
A list of wildlife areas can be found on DFG’s Web site (www.dfg.ca.gov) or in the current Waterfowl and Upland Game Hunting Regulations booklet (www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/).
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