The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reminds veterans that service-related injuries need not keep them from enjoying wildlife and the great outdoors. America’s disabled veterans get a break on the price of sport fishing and hunting licenses and are provided some special opportunities.
CDFW 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 2014 Sport Fishing License (Reduced – Disabled Veteran) and Disabled Veteran Hunting License cost only $6.95 when purchased at CDFW 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.
CDFW 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.
Certification from the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs and proof of completion of a hunter education course is required at the time of application. The first license must be purchased from a CDFW License Sales Office. Subsequent licenses may be purchased from any license agent or online, and at that time, a copy of a previous year’s California Disabled Veteran’s Hunting License will serve as identification.
CDFW 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 CDFW website. Subsequent licenses may be purchased from any license agent or online.
Fish and Game Code, section 7150, authorizes CDFW 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 2014 reduced-fee fishing license applications are on CDFW’s 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 CDFW website at www.wildlife.ca.gov.