Originally Posted by
julianrmartinez43
Thanks you! I would be hunting in CA. Hopefully for wild hog or deer when the season opens.
As for more specifics, is it as long as I am in CDFW/BLM land during hunting hours that I can take out my rifle?
Do I need to check-in with any government officials before taking out my rifle?
That information helps. You don't need to check in with any government officials prior to taking out your rifle on public or private land. Refuges can sometimes be a different story so you'd want to look it up depending on the specific refuge.
In CA, hunting licenses are on a budget year calendar (July 1 through June 30th). Your hunter safety class should have given you a Hunter Safety Certificate with an ID # on it. You need that certificate # to obtain your first hunting license (see link below for more details). Once you have your hunter safety certificate input into the system (it takes a few days for the info to show up in the computer database online), you can buy a license at a sales office, licensed agent or online (they mail your license and tags to you if you do it online).
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Hunter-Education
If you haven't already gone through the process of registering your hunter safety certificate and don't currently have you hunting license, you're probably going to miss the drawing deadline for premium deer tags, elk, sheep and antelope. If you already have your hunter safety certificate entered in the system, you can apply for a license and premium tags online but the deadline is June 2, 2016 at midnight (tomorrow night). Here's the link for online licenses.
https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales/
Now for the good news. If you haven't submitted your hunter safety certificate and it's not entered in the computer, don't worry. Go to the DFW regional office nearest you and bring your wallet (they will want to see your driver's license or some form of picture ID), checkbook and/or debit or credit card to pay for your license and tags. The staff will walk you through the process for your first license, etc.
Depending on where you live, there will likely be available general deer tags for your area. Most deer seasons are in September or October so you're not too late for that. Pig tags are good year round so you'll have plenty of time for that.
If you need more information, post further questions or feel free to PM me.
CalHunter