Important California Information

California Preference Point Codes

California Fees

Research Tools

How To Purchase Preference Points In California

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An essential step-by-step guide for how to purchase preference points in California for future year hunts

You can purchase preference points in California until June 2, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PT in the big game main draw. Purchasing these points will help you in the following years' draw.

Note: There is no separate points-only period in California.

Valid hunting license for California to buy preference points

To purchase points in California, you must have a valid hunting license, and if you don't, you will be required to purchase one when buying your points.

Must have proof of hunter education attached to your California account

To purchase hunting items online, you must have an Accepted Proof of Hunter Education added to your customer record. If you complete the California Hunter Education Course, your certificate number will automatically be added to your customer record within 48 hours after completion of the course. If you are unable to wait 48 hours, you may provide your proof of hunter education to an authorized CDFW License Agent in your area.

The easier method for nonresidents to submit proof of hunter education

To submit another form of hunter education, log in to your customer record and select Upload File from the menu (requires creating a password if not done previously) or email us at LRB@wildlife.ca.gov and request a secure upload link to provide your proof of hunter education. Please allow up to five business days to process your request. After your proof of hunter education has been added, you will be able to purchase hunting items during the current and future license years.

When applying in California, there is a preference point-only option. For more information, see the preference point codes below that you can use when purchasing your points.

Again, all applicants are required to purchase an annual hunting license prior to applying for any big game hunt. Once you have purchased your license, you will also have to pay an application fee of $8.13 for elk, antelope, and bighorn sheep for both residents and nonresidents. You are required to submit the full cost of the deer tag at the time of application.

Below are the fees for purchasing preference points.

You must pay the full $368.20 for the deer tag at the time of application.

Unsuccessful Nonresident Deer Tag Drawing applicants may request a partial refund of the deer tag fees paid when a deer tag has not been issued (Sec. 708.2. Title 14, CCR)

Throughout GOHUNT Insider, we have research tools that will enable you to find the perfect hunt quickly and easily. Whether you’re looking for your first Western hunt or want to see the best way to use your points, Insider is your ticket to unlocking the West.

Each research tool on GOHUNT will allow you to find a hunting opportunity. Combining Draw Odds with Filtering, plus our Application Strategy articles and GOHUNT Maps, those tools are everything you need to gain an edge and become more successful.

California Application Strategy Articles:

Application strategy articles are your go-to source of information before you apply. Every year, we publish new application strategy articles for every state and species. These articles are packed with in-depth information and lots of data presented to showcase what's new in the state, as well as how you can best use your points to pick up a tag.

Not a Member of GOHUNT?

A GOHUNT membership makes it easy to find hunting opportunities by state, species, probability of draw odds success, and much more! Whether you have 0 points, max points, or any number of points, GOHUNT gives you the information you need to plan a successful hunt. In addition to our research tools, all Insiders have access to our GOHUNT mobile app where you can plan a hunt on GOHUNT Maps, as well as research tools on the app to help you find hunting opportunities. GOHUNT Maps is also available on the web. GOHUNT Insider is the only complete and total package set of tools to help you find the hunt you want this upcoming year or to help plan for hunts in the future.

If you're unfamiliar with GOHUNT, you can learn more about it below.

The steps for purchasing points in California are fairly simple. You can easily follow along on how to purchase preference points by checking out the text and screenshots of the process below.

Step 1 - Head to California's website

Navigate to California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s homepage and click on "Licensing" and then tap on "Purchase a License / Register for GO ID."

Step 2 - Log in or create an account

Now, it will take you to the CDFW's Online License Sales and Services page. You will need to log in to your account by clicking on the "Customer Login / Register" section.

Step 3 - Customer account search

Before you can log in, you will need to search for an existing account by entering in your date of birth and your last name, then click on "Next."

If no existing record is located, the "Create New Customer Record" button will be enabled.

Now, you'll be jumped to the bottom of the page where existing customers will need to select a form of identity type to look up the account. Acceptable Identity Type: State ID (Driver's License or Identification Card), Passport, Military ID, Green Card, Foreign Government ID. After you enter that information, click "Next."

And if you haven't applied to California before, to create a customer record and obtain a GO ID (permanent CDFW customer number), select one of the Acceptable Identity Types (listed below) from the Identity Type dropdown enter the corresponding identity number for the individual requiring a new customer record.

Step 4 - Entering your account password

Now you need to enter in your account password and click "Submit." If you forgot your password, you'll be able to click, "Forgot Password" to retrieve it.

Step 5 - Account page navigation

Once you've finally landed on your account page, click on "Purchase Licenses."

Step 6 - Purchase a current-year hunting license

Now, you must add a "Hunting License," which is $219.81 for a nonresident, to your cart. So click "Add."

Step 7 - Adding species applications to your cart

If you scroll down you'll see a "Drawings" section. Select what species you want to purchase points for in California and then click on "Add" next to that species. For this example, we will select "Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing Application (Nonres)."

Step 8 - Adding a preference point code

You can either apply for a hunt or purchase a preference point. Once again, the preference point codes will vary by species.

Below are the California preference point-only codes that you can use when purchasing your points.

So again, for this bighorn sheep example, we will enter the 599 Choice Code. And then click on "Submit."

Step 9 - Confirm your choice

Now you'll need to confirm your choice. If everything looks good, click on "Submit." Depending on the species, the next screen might have you acknowledge some statements.

Step 10 - Purchase preference points in California for more species if you want

If you want to purchase preference points for other species in California, just scroll back down to the drawings and repeat the same process starting at Step 7.

Quick notes on the deer section

For deer, you'll first be asked if you want to create a new party or join an existing party. If you're just buying points, select "Create New Party/Apply Alone."

On the next screen, enter PD as the choice code for deer in the choice 1 section and click "Submit." It will not allow you to put PD in Choice 2 or Choice 3.

You'll need to confirm your choice, then click "Submit." Then you'll have to acknowledge that you understand deer reporting requirements. Click "Submit" after you mark the checkbox.

Step 11 - Initial checkout page

Once you've added all the species, it's time to check out. Scroll to the top and click on the "View Shopping Cart" section in the upper right portion of the screen.

Step 12 - Reviewing items in the cart

Review all the items in your cart to ensure they are correct, then click on "Checkout."

Step 13 - Checkout page

You're finally on the checkout page. Here, you can review the shopping cart again for all the preference points you want to purchase in California.

Scroll down and verify your shipping address and email address.

Finally, select that you're not a robot, enter your credit card information, and then click "Pay Now."

Update your information on GOHUNT's Point Tracker

One last step I like to take is to jump into GOHUNT’s Point Tracker Tool and update my preference point totals for California. This way, I know everything is in sync between the state's website and my Insider account. Point Tracker will then seamlessly transfer your point totals into Filtering and Draw Odds when you're researching hunts on both the web version of Insider and our mobile app.