California hunting data
This section collects public California hunting numbers in one place: license sales since 2010, the 2026-27 season dates and the acreage of the state's refuges. Each figure names its source and the date we read it.
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- Training since 2002
- Qualified at an AKC Master National
All pages in this section
California hunting license and stamp sales
California sold 242,572 hunting licenses in license year 2025, down from 287,229 in 2010, according to CDFW. Duck validations went from 67,551 to 59,229 over the same...
DataCalifornia 2026-27 waterfowl and upland seasons
California's 2026-27 duck season in the Balance of State zone runs October 24, 2026 through January 31, 2027, and the general pheasant season runs November 14 through...
DataWaterfowl habitat and refuges in California
California's best-known waterfowl ground runs from the 116,000-acre Suisun Marsh to the Sacramento Valley refuges, where Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge alone is...
Richard Gebhart trains retrievers and upland dogs for hunters across California, so these pages give the context for the hunting the dogs are trained for. The numbers come from CDFW and USFWS and are never stretched to describe any one client.
What is here
The three data pages are rebuilt when the agencies publish new figures, and each table is dated so you can see how fresh it is. Start with the 2026-27 season dates if you are planning this fall, license sales for the size of the hunting community, or refuge acreage for where the birds are. Dog owners can use them to plan a training year around the real calendar, and every table links back to the agency that published it.
Sources (2)
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife: wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Statistics (checked October 27, 2026)
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife: wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Waterfowl (checked October 27, 2026)
Your trainer
Richard Gebhart has trained dogs professionally since 2002, learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti, and has run and qualified at an AKC Master National.
Meet RichardRelated
Where Richard trains
Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, near Rio Vista in Solano County. Call before you drive out.
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Richard books by phone. Call, text, or leave your details and he will call you back.
(530) 341-4496- 4.9 12 Google reviews
- Training since 2002