CAFX-13 1926 California Angling License

California was the first to issue pictorial wildlife licenses and without doubt has issued the most beautiful licenses of any state. The California Legislature began requiring hunting licenses in 1907 as a way to provide additional funding for enforcement of the state’s game laws. Sport fishing licenses became a requirement in 1914. For the first two years, hunting licenses were issued in the form of metal tags stamped with a serial number and expiration date. In 1909, the state transitioned to the pictorial hunting license depicting beautiful images of sportsmen and wildlife. Pictorial fishing licenses were produced between 1914 and 1926. Subsequent licenses were considered “semi-pictorial” because they featured elaborate borders and fonts, but no illustrations other than the official seal of the California Department of Fish and Game.