Gallery Eleven

Arizona first issued waterfowl stamps in 1987. From 1987 through the 2013 seasons, all of the stamps were pictorial. Following the 2013 seasons, Arizona began issuing non-pictorial waterfowl stamps and they continue to do so in 2021. The stamps, themselves, are located in the upper left of a three-part card / pane which measures approximately 217 mm x 140 mm.

According to Colorado fish and game specialist Ken Pruess, beginning in 1982 Colorado started issuing stamps to extend short-term fishing licenses by additional days – one stamp required for each day. The series was discontinued following the 2003 season.

The stamps were similar in appearance to the Colorado Additional Rod Stamps that were issued during the same time period.

California began requiring pheasant hunters to purchase a special stamp and affix it to their license in 1970. The stamps were issued for five years and the series was discontinued following the 1974-75 season. Each stamp conveyed the right to shoot ten pheasants.

1970-71 stamps were designed by Paul Johnson and featured a pheasant in flight. The stamps were die-cut and measured approximately 45 mm x 25mm. Ten stamps were mounted on a protective backing and issued in fold-out booklets with cardboard covers.

Subsequent issues featured the same design, were also die-cut and of similar size. However, the larger panes were cut down to panes of five (1 x 5) with a tab at the top to accommodate staples. The protective glassine backing was rouletted between the stamps and the tab to facilitate separation by license clerks. An unknown number of panes were stapled together to form a booklet.

For each year of issue, pheasant stamps were overprinted for disabled veterans. Section 3036 of the 1971-72 code read: “A veteran, having 70 percent or greater service-connected disability…is entitled to receive, free of charge…a pheasant stamp…. Proof of such disability shall be required and shall be by certification from the Veterans Administration or, if the veteran is over 55 years of age, by proof that he was issued a license under this section in the previous year.”

The same NO FEE overprint Types II and III which were applied to the California hunting license validating stamps, were also applied to the pheasant stamps. For more in-depth information on all the California NO FEE overprinted stamps, click here. All overprints that have been recorded on the pheasant stamps are in red ink.

Starting in 1976, Illinois required fishermen to purchase a salmon stamp. This continued through 1993 at which time the salmon stamp series was superseded by two new stamp series; one of these was for inland trout.

The second series was for taking salmon in Lake Michigan. Both the inland trout and Lake Michigan stamp series were very colorful and popular with collectors. Both were discontinued following the 2006 seasons.

These stamps were issued to hunters at state-owned and managed game areas where waterfowl hunting was allowed. Waterfowl hunting at these areas were by local permit only; in other words, the permits were only available at a district office near the site. Permits were (and still are) issued for a morning hunt or an afternoon hunt and only valid for the time and location specified on the permit. They were allotted to hunters via a drawing process.

From 1986 through 1994 there were two different stamps issued; the first conveyed the rights to hunt at the area for the entire waterfowl season. In this sense, they served a similar purpose to the Honey Lake Waterfowl Stamps. Such stamps and were overprinted with a large “S”.

The second stamp conveyed the rights to hunt waterfowl for one day only and, therefore, served much the same purpose as the Illinois Daily Usage Stamps. The latter were overprinted with a large “D”.

From 1997 through 1999, Minnesota issued a Special Canada Goose Permit in the form of an adhesive stamp that was required to be affixed to the hunter's license along with federal and state waterfowl stamps.

Not a lot is known about these stamps. They were semi-pictorial (with the Department of Natural Resources Insignia in the background), die-cut and include a line for the signature of the licensee.

I have spent a considerable amount of time studying Minnesota regulations, DNR bulletins and newspaper articles from this period and believe they were required for a limited early goose hunt in September from 1997 through 1999 and also an “experimental” extended late goose season held in December during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. If anyone has more information, please contact us.

Montana first required sportsman to purchase fishing license stamps for the 1969-70 season. Starting in 1969 and continuing through the 1978-79 season, four different stamps were issued each year: one for Montana residents and three for non-residents. The non-resident stamps included one-day, six-day and entire season options.

According to Vanderford’s Handbook, the stamps measured approximately 30 mm x 40.5 mm; were rouletted in either black or red and issued in booklet panes of 10 (5 x 2) with a tab at the left. Presumably, one or more panes were stapled between cardboard covers to form a booklet.

The fishing license stamps, similar to The Montana bird license stamps issued during the same period, were semi-pictorial and featured a leaping trout hooked on a line in the background.

No fishing stamps were issued for the 1979-80 season. Staring with the 1980-81 season and continuing through 2001-2, Montana resumed requiring fishermen to purchase a stamp and affix it their license. They were long, die-cut “strip-type” stamps that varied in size from 120-125 mm wide (approximately five inches) by 15-20 mm tall.

It is believed that from 1980-81 through 1981-82, the same four stamps were issued as in the past; one for Montana residents and one-day, six-day and season stamps for non-residents.

Starting in 1982-83, it is believed the one-day and six-day non-resident stamps were discontinued and a new two-day stamp issued in their place. Starting with the 1986 issues, it is believed the non-resident season stamp was discontinued – leaving non-resident fishermen with only the two-day stamp as an option.

By 1986, the die-cut stamps were printed in panes of ten (1 x 10) with a tab at the top. One pane was stapled between cardboard covers to form a booklet. Starting in 1987, the size of the stamps were reduced to 72-75 mm wide by 11-12 mm tall.

By 1988, the resident stamps were issued in two different formats; in addition to those printed in booklet panes, a second type was printed on a card measuring approximately 183 mm wide by 83 mm tall. The card was rouletted around the stamp and at tabs on both ends. One tab was glued to a current year’s fishing license and an unknown number of these license-stamp combinations were stapled together to form a booklet via the tab at the opposite end.