California
1.04 million
Duck Statewide Harvest
251,300
Goose Statewide Harvest
60,300
No. Waterfowl Licenses Sold Annually
18.0
Ducks Per Hunter
8.2
Geese Per Hunter
$61.82
Cost of Resident Waterfowl Hunting License
$39.14
Cost of Resident State Stamps and Permits
$25
Federal Duck Stamp
Season $216; one-day license $29.73; two-day license $61.82
Cost of Non-Resident Waterfowl Hunting License
$39.14
Cost of Non-Resident State Stamps and Permits
$25
Federal Duck Stamp
Photo by Austin Ross
California is a good-news/bad-news proposition for waterfowlers.
The good news concerns the number of birds, which outnumber stars in the sky. The state has a wide variety of species, too, including mallards, pintails, wigeon, shovelers, gadwalls, and green-winged and cinnamon teal, plus clouds of specklebellies and Canadas. The bad news, if you can call it that, concerns access or, specifically, competition from other hunters. With more than 60,000 active duck hunters, reserving a blind at a refuge can be as tough as saving a table at a Chucky Cheese grand opening next to a middle school; tough, if not impossible.
Still, the Golden State holds a vast array of possibilities, including six refuges in the Sacramento Valley. Throw in such legendary wildlife management areas such as Mendota, Imperial, Los Banos, Grizzly Island and Grey Lodge, and it becomes easy to see that the bad news might not be all that rotten. Keep an eye on weather conditions, though, as droughts can severely affect water conditions and potential opportunities here.
