Hunting in California: Online Resources and Mobile Apps to Enhance the Field Experience

With about 160,000 square miles and a plethora of state and national parks and recreational areas, there is plenty of room for hunting in California. The state makes full use of modern high-tech information management to keep hunters on the right track as they track their prey.

Online resources and mobile apps can help with everything from purchasing a hunting license and understanding the rules that apply to hiring a guide and predicting the movement of game animals. Here are some of them.

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Online License Sales and Service
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife website includes information about hunting game, including deer, bear, wild pigs, antelope, elk, bighorn sheep, and all sorts of waterfowl and game birds, as well as small game and varmints. Visitors to the site can browse and buy hunting and fishing licenses, game tags, permits, reservations, and passes from a keyboard or touchscreen.

Learn the Rules
Hunters can find out everything they need to know about licensing requirements for residents and visitors, permissible prey, and hunter education requirements on the department’s FAQ page.

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Find a Guide
The website also offers a searchable database where hunters can find a licensed backcountry guide who specializes in hunting or fishing, and sort the search results by prey, technique, and county.

Report Your Harvest
It is also possible to report the results of a hunt online through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website.

Access Through Smartphones
When out in the field, there's no need to turn off your phone. As UC Hunting Properties points out, there are plenty of mobile apps that help hunters predict prey movements, log hunts, navigate by hunting-specific maps (with GPS tie-in, of course), and even broadcast deer and bird calls.

This article does not constitute legal advice. Check the current gun laws before purchasing or traveling with a firearm.

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