Title FGC — California Fish & Game Code

The carcass of a game bird which shows that it has been killed by shooting shall constitute prima facie evidence that it was not a domesticated game bird. The fact that the bird has been tagged in accordance with Section 3206 of this code shall not alter this presumption. (Enacte…

Any license issued under this article may be revoked by the commission upon conviction of the licensee of a violation of any provision of this code, and no similar license may be issued to the licensee during the same license year.

Domesticated reindeer may be imported into this State and sold only in accordance with regulations which the commission may prescribe. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

(a) For purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Commercial hunting club” means property with respect to which a fee is imposed or collected for either of the following: (A) Taking or attempting to take birds or mammals on the property. (B) …

(a) An application for a commercial hunting club license shall be submitted on a form furnished by the department. The application, which shall set forth all of the exemptions and conditions established in Section 3240.5, shall require the applicant to include all of the followin…

(a) The department may issue a commercial hunting club license to any person upon submission of a completed application and payment of the required fee, according to the number of properties used by the club, as follows: (1) The fee for one property shall be two hundred dollars (…

The commission may transfer a commercial hunting club license to other land owned or controlled by the licensee, in the same county as the originally licensed land, without an additional fee, if the commission finds the new land suitable for the purposes of the license and the tr…

Commercial hunting club licenses are valid for a term of one year from July 1st, or, if issued after the beginning of such term, for the remainder thereof. A license authorizes the person to whom it is issued to maintain a hunting club in accordance with the provisions of this co…

Any license issued under this article may be revoked by the commission at one of the commission’s regularly scheduled meetings, or by a court of competent jurisdiction, upon the licensee’s conviction of a violation of this code, and no new license may be issued to the licensee du…

In order to provide additional hunting by stocking domestically propagated game birds, and to permit the taking of game birds under conditions that will not conflict with the public interest, any person who owns or controls the hunting rights on a tract of land may apply to the d…

It is unlawful for any person to engage in the raising and releasing, or the releasing, of domesticated migratory game birds for shooting by persons who pay for that privilege, unless the person has a revocable nontransferable license issued by the department. The licenses may be…

The application for a license shall show the size and location of the area to be licensed. If an application is approved and a license is issued, the licensee shall post the boundaries of the licensed area with signs, at intervals of not more than 500 feet, which shall indicate t…

The commission may prescribe additional regulations deemed necessary for the releasing and shooting of domesticated migratory game birds and shall set the season and areas where such birds may be taken. If the licensee violates any of the provisions of this article or any regulat…

Where domesticated migratory game birds are reared or held for release by the licensee, the licensee shall provide proper and adequate care for the birds and shall raise and hold them only under sanitary conditions. Conditions for proper care and raising shall be prescribed by th…

All domesticated migratory game birds at time of release for shooting shall be at least 14 weeks of age, capable of strong and sustained flight, fully feathered, and otherwise in condition to survive in the wild. Birds that are altered in any manner which would, in the opinion of…

Shooting shall be confined to blinds, except for shooting necessary to recover a downed and injured bird, and not more than three shooters shall occupy or use each blind. Such blinds shall be constructed to prevent the shooting of domestic migratory game birds over water and to i…

All birds killed or injured by shooters shall be retrieved without delay, and all injured birds shall be humanely dispatched. The licensee shall not permit injured birds to remain on a pond or feeding area, nor shall he knowingly permit such birds to be used in any subsequent rel…

Licensees shall pay the department an inspection fee not to exceed five cents ($0.05) for each domesticated migratory game bird raised or used on a licensed area to insure proper adherence to these regulations.

No dead, domesticated migratory game bird shall be removed from the premises of a licensed area until there is securely attached to the carcass a seal, and such seal shall remain attached to the carcass until it is finally prepared for consumption. Each such seal shall be supplie…

It shall be unlawful for any person to shoot domesticated migratory game birds on a licensed area without having a valid hunting license as provided by Section 3031.

The licensee shall comply with all applicable federal laws or regulations relating to the releasing and shooting of domesticated migratory game birds.

It is the policy of the state actively to ensure the improvement of wildlife habitat on private land in order to encourage the propagation, utilization, and conservation of fish and wildlife resources on those lands now and for the future in cooperation with private landowners. T…

(a) The commission may authorize the department to issue revocable, nontransferable licenses for the operation of wildlife habitat enhancement and management areas on any private lands it determines are suitable for habitat enhancement, management, utilization, propagation, and c…

(a) A license for a wildlife habitat enhancement and management area may be issued to any landholder or combination of landholders upon approval by the commission of an application submitted by the landholder. As used in this article, “landholder” means any person who owns, lease…

The commission shall require the landowners of a wildlife habitat enhancement and management area to post all or part of its boundaries with public land. The commission may require the owners of a wildlife habitat enhancement and management area to post all or part of its boundar…

(a) The commission may adopt regulations necessary for the administration of this article. (b) After notice and a hearing, the commission may revoke the license for any violation of any provision of this code or any regulations adopted pursuant thereto or for any violation of the…

(a) Upon approval of the wildlife habitat enhancement and management plan, the department shall issue a license, which shall be valid for five calendar years, authorizing the taking of those species of fish, game birds, and game mammals designated in the wildlife habitat enhancem…

(a) The commission may require that any fish, bird, or mammal taken in a wildlife habitat enhancement and management area licensed pursuant to this article be marked for identification with a distinctive tag or seal issued by the department prior to being removed from the area. (…

Any landholder who has paid the fee required by this article, has a valid license issued pursuant to this article, and who is conducting activities pursuant to an approved wildlife habitat enhancement and management plan that could be licensed or permitted pursuant to another pro…

It is the policy of the state to actively encourage the biologically sound management of fish and other wildlife resources on lands administered by the United States Department of Defense. The department may develop a program to implement this article in cooperation with the mili…

The department may coordinate and cooperate with all branches of the United States military service, Department of Defense, for the purpose of developing fish and wildlife management plans and programs on military installations. The plans and programs shall be designed to provide…

The commission may adopt regulations and authorize the department to enter into agreements with the United States Department of Defense for the administration of this article.

(a) Upon approval of specific management plans and programs, which reflect the recommendations of the department, the commission may authorize actions and adopt regulations governing those actions pursuant to this article. (b) The provisions of Sections 457, 458, 459, and 460 do …

(a) Subject to appropriation pursuant to Section 3467, the director may enter into contracts with nonpublic entities which are owners of record, or with lessees, who have the owners of record execute the contract, of land determined by the director to be important for the conserv…

Each contract shall be for an initial term of 10 years and shall include all of the following: (a) The designation of the owner of record and any lessee, and the legal description and the assessor’s parcel number of the land subject to the contract. (b) An agreement by the owner …

(a) Not later than 20 days after the director has entered into a contract pursuant to this article, a copy of the contract particularly describing the subject habitat as required by subdivision (a) of Section 3461 shall be recorded by the department in the office of the county re…

The contract shall be automatically renewed in the same manner as contracts are renewed and extended, or noticed for nonrenewal, under the Williamson Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 51200) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code). Upon the request of the owner or …

(a) If during the contract period the owner or lessee is divested of the use of the waterfowl habitat subject to the contract, the owner or lessee shall notify the department concurrent with that divestment. Any unearned payment shall immediately be refunded by the owner or lesse…

The director and the owner or lessee may mutually agree to modify the terms and conditions of a contract under this article as the director may determine to be desirable to carry out the purposes of, or to facilitate administration of, the program.

The California Waterfowl Habitat Preservation Account is hereby created in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, and the money in the account shall be transferred to the Surplus Money Investment Fund for investment pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 16470) of Chapter 3…

The Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program Account is hereby created in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. Moneys deposited in the Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program Account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the purposes of the…

(a) There is established the California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program subject to the requirements of this article. (b) Subject to appropriation for purposes of this article, the director may enter into contracts with nonpublic entities that are owners of record or with le…

Each contract shall be for an initial term of three years and shall include the following: (a) The designation of the owner of record or the lessee, and the legal description and the assessor’s parcel number of the land subject to the contract. (b) An agreement by the owner or th…

If during the contract period the owner or lessee is divested of the use of the waterfowl habitat subject to the contract, the owner or lessee shall notify the department concurrent with that divestment. Any unearned payment shall immediately be refunded by the owner or lessee to…

The director and the owner or lessee may mutually agree to modify the terms and conditions of a contract under this article as the director may determine to be desirable to carry out the purposes of, or to facilitate administration of, the program.

The California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program Account is hereby created in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. Funds deposited in the California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program Account shall be made available for expenditure, upon appropriation by the Legislature, t…

It is the policy of the state to actively encourage the safe and biologically sound management of wildlife resources on California’s public use airports as regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its agents. The Legislature recognizes that public use airports s…

The Legislature recognizes that, in a public use airport’s ongoing efforts to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the traveling public in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and specifically Section 337 of Part 139 of Title 14 of the Code of …

The taking of birds by a public use airport certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate in California that has obtained, and is in compliance with, a federal depredation permit that authorizes, under specified conditions, the lawful taking of birds, does not vi…

Take is authorized pursuant to this article only to relieve or prevent injurious situations affecting public safety and shall only be performed as part of an integrated wildlife management program that emphasizes nonlethal management techniques.