The information below will help you determine which classification(s) is(are) appropriate for you. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin to compete in this examination.

Promotional Examination(s):

• FISH AND GAME CAPTAIN - Promotional

In addition to meeting the Minimum Qualifications, competition is limited to individuals who meet at least one of the following filing criteria:

• 1. Have a permanent civil service appointment with a promotional testing department (see Testing Departments), or
• 2. Are current or former employees of the legislature for 2 or more years as defined in Government Code 18990, or
• 3. Are current or former non-elected exempt employees of the executive branch for 2 or more consecutive years as defined in Govt. Code 18992, or
• 4. Are persons retired from the United States military honorably discharged from active duty with a service disability or honorably discharged from active duty as defined in Government Code 18991. Applicants must provide a copy of discharge papers (DD 214) for verification purposes at the time of application.

Under certain circumstances other employees may be allowed to compete under provisions of Rules 234, 235 and 235.2. California Code of Regulations Rules 233, 234, 235.2 and 237 contain provisions regarding civil service status and eligibility for promotional examinations.

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 6 months:

Exam Code(s):

3194

For FISH AND GAME CAPTAIN, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 6 months:

Exam Code(s):

• EX-03194

ONLINE APPLICATIONS VIA CAL CAREERS AND EMAILED APPLICATIONS ARE PREFERRED. Submit your completed EXAMINATION/EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION (STD. 678) along with any required educational documentation (if applicable) via email at examsubmission@wildlife.ca.gov

Please include the Exam Code and the Title of the Examination in the subject line of your email. The Examination/Employment Application (STD. 678) is available through your CalCareers Account or the internet at Examination and Employment Application. Once your application has been received and minimum qualifications can be verified, you will be sent a link to the Training and Experience Questionnaire. If minimum qualifications cannot be verified, you will be asked to submit additional information prior to receiving the exam link. 

To ensure we receive your application, please send your application via certified mail to the mailing address indicated on the announcement. Completed applications and all required documents must be received to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining filing of an application. The State Examination Application (Form STD. 678) may be filed by mail at the address below

Submit an Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) to apply for this examination.

Electronic applications can be submitted through your account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov.

You may apply by mail to:

• Human Resources Branch
  Department of Fish and Wildlife
  Department of Fish and Wildlife
  P.O. Box 944209
  Sacramento, CA 94244
  

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678).

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, indicate on your application that you need reasonable accommodation. You will be contacted by a representative of the testing department to make the necessary arrangements. If you have not been contacted by the time you receive notification of testing, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

If you are unable to submit your application or complete the test due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

Unless otherwise stated in the Minimum Qualifications, qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as "Either" 1, "or" 2, "or" 3, etc. For example, applicants possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 1 and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 2 may be accepted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirement.

Applications and any attached resumes require employment history information including "to" and "from" dates (month/day/year), time base, and if applicable, civil service class titles. Applications and any attached resumes received without this information MAY BE REJECTED BECAUSE OF INCOMPLETE INFORMATION.

Possession of a valid driver license of the appropriate class issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Applicants who do not possess this license will be admitted to the examination but must secure the license prior to appointment. And

Education: Equivalent to completion of two years (60 semester units) of college with 18 semester units in the biological sciences, police science or law enforcement, natural resources conservation, ecology, or related fields. (Students who have 30 semester units of college, and have 18 semester units completed in the required or related fields, will be admitted to the examination, but must produce evidence of completion of 60 semester units before they can be considered eligible for appointment.) And

EITHER I

Successful completion of a California POST accredited Law Enforcement Academy, possession of a valid California POST basic peace officer certificate, and currently employed as a peace officer within the State of California at time of application.

OR II

Successful completion (within the last 12 months) of a California POST accredited law enforcement academy prescribed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and possession of a valid California POST basic academy certificate. And

EITHER I

One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a peace officer class at a level of responsibility equivalent to that obtained in the class of Fish and Game Lieutenant (Specialist) or Fish and Game Lieutenant (Supervisor).

OR II

Three years of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a peace officer class at a level of responsibility equivalent to that obtained in the class of Fish and Game Warden, Range B.

CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT

Pursuant to Government Code Section 1031(a), in order to be a peace officer, a person must be either a U.S. citizen or be a permanent resident alien who is eligible for and has applied for U.S. citizenship.

Denial of an application for citizenship shall result in termination of employment.

DRUG TESTING REQUIREMENT

Applicants for positions in this class are required to pass a drug screening test. Drug testing of current State employees who are applicants in an examination or who are transferring is permitted only if the person does not have current appointment to a class for which drug testing is a requirement.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications prior to receiving an examination link. If applicants do not meet the minimum qualifications for the examination, they will need to submit additional information before moving forward in the examination process. This process may take TWO business days. 

This examination consists of the following component(s):

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

Applicants will be sent a link through their Cal Careers account or by the email provided on your STD 678 application to complete the Fish and Game Assistant Chief Training and Experience Questionnaire. Applicants must take the exam within ten (10) business days after recieving the link to not get disqualified. 

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge of: 

1. Investigation techniques and procedures.

2. Rules of evidence and court procedures.

3. Laws of arrest, search and seizure, and legal rights of citizens, service of legal process.

4. State and applicable Federal laws.

5. Basic principles and techniques of natural resources management.

6. Habits, life histories, ecological relationships, and geographical distribution of sport and commercial fishes and wildlife in California.

7. Sport and commercial fishing and hunting practices and equipment.

8. Current court decisions.

9. Provisions of the Fish and Game Code and other laws, rules, regulations, and policies relating to the conservation and protection of fish, wildlife, and their habitat in California.

10. Instruction in the care and use of firearms and equipment.

11. Basic supervision.

12. A manager’s/supervisor’s responsibility for promoting equal opportunity in hiring and employee development and promotion, and for maintaining a work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment including the Bilingual Services Program, Limited Exam and Appointment Program (LEAP), Reasonable Accommodation, and discrimination complaint process.

13. Principles and techniques of personnel management.

14. In service training.

 
Ability to:

1. Gather and analyze facts.

2. Reason logically, draw valid conclusions, and make appropriate recommendations.

3. Follow instructions.

4. Communicate effectively and write clearly and concisely.

5. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the work.

6. Learn rules and regulations.

7. Interpret, apply, and enforce fish and game laws.

8. Analyze situations accurately, think and act quickly in emergencies, and take effective action.

9. Establish and maintain tactful and effective relations with the public.

10. Learn safety and proficiency with firearms, peace officer protective equipment and other equipment used on the job.

11. Administer first aid treatment.

12. Assist in the interpretation and application of biological information and laws and regulations to specific situations.

13. Participate effectively in investigations and interviews.

14. Work on field assignments without close supervision and primarily on own initiative.

15. Train and act as a lead over new Fish and Game Wardens.

16. Prepare accurate and concise reports.

17. Implement specific programs.

18. Direct or conduct complex investigations of fish and game law violations.

19. Coordinate required training.

20. Supervise and direct work.

21. Evaluate employee performance.

22. Conduct and coordinate internal affairs investigations.

23. Effectively promote equal opportunity in employment and maintain a work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment including the Bilingual Services Program, Limited Exam and Appointment (LEAP), Reasonable Accommodation, and discrimination complaint process. 

24. Plan, conduct, and evaluate training programs.

25. Implement programs to protect fish and wildlife resources.

26. Assist in budget preparation.

27. Coordinate special enforcement activities.

A Departmental Promotional eligible list for the FISH AND GAME CAPTAIN Classification will be established for:

• Department of Fish and Wildlife

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 24 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Veterans' Preference is not granted for promotional examinations.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

DISQUALIFICATION

Existing law provides that persons convicted of a felony or convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence are disqualified from employment as peace officers. Such persons are not eligible to compete for or be appointed to positions in these classes.

You are disqualified from being employed as a peace officer under Government Code 1029 if (1) you have been convicted of a felony in this State or any other state; (2) you have been convicted of any offense in any other state which would have been a felony if committed in this State; (3) you have been charged with a felony and adjudged by a superior court to be mentally incompetent; (4) you have been found not guilty by reason of insanity of any felony; (5) you have been determined to be a mentally disordered sex offender; or (6) you have been addicted or in danger of becoming addicted to narcotics, convicted, and committed to a State institution.

You are disqualified from being employed as a peace officer under the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968 as amended by the Federal Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997, which makes it unlawful for any person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence to ship, transport, posses, or receive firearms or ammunition. A misdemeanor crime of domestic violence means an offense that (1) is a misdemeanor under Federal or State law; and (2) has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim. This definition includes all misdemeanors that involve the use or attempted use of physical force and is true whether or not the State statute or local ordinance specifically defines the offense as a domestic violence misdemeanor.

Use of "hard" drugs (e.g., heroin, cocaine, or hallucinogenic) subsequent to applicant's 18th birthday and prior to his or her twenty-third birthday, shall be grounds for disqualification from the examination unless 5 years elapsed from the date of the disclosed or revealed use of the drug. If any such disclosed or revealed use has occurred on or after the applicant's twenty-third birthday, he or she shall be disqualified from the examination in which he or she is competing until 10 years have elapsed from the date of the disclosed or revealed use. The disqualification period shall begin on the date that the drug was used, and not on the date that the drug use was disclosed or revealed.

• Department of Fish and Wildlife

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Department of Fish and Wildlife reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.