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California

California hunting maps: public land, units and season dates

California Department of Fish and Wildlife, BIOS divides California into 45 deer hunting zones. Across them, about 49% of the land is public: Forest Service 21%, BLM 15%, National Park Service 7.5%.

Units measured Oct 12, 2026 · sources

Who manages California’s public land

  • Bureau of Land Management15%
  • U.S. Forest Service21%
  • National Park Service7.5%
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceunder 1%
  • Department of Defense4%
  • Bureau of Reclamationunder 1%
  • State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies)1.3%

Share of the area covered by California’s deer hunting zones.

California deer hunting zones shaded by public land shareDeer Zone A (South Unit 110) · 16% publicDeer Zone D17 · 83% publicDeer Zone A (North Unit 160) · 14% publicDeer Zone X9c · 95% publicDeer Zone D12 · 78% publicDeer Zone B1 · 46% publicDeer Zone D8 · 47% publicDeer Zone D6 · 53% publicDeer Zone D5 · 29% publicDeer Zone D16 · 33% publicDeer Zone C4 · 36% publicDeer Zone B2 · 75% publicDeer Zone D3 · 39% publicDeer Zone D7 · 56% publicDeer Zone D15 · 15% publicDeer Zone X1 · 62% publicDeer Zone D19 · 32% publicDeer Zone D11 · 45% publicDeer Zone D4 · 24% publicDeer Zone B6 · 62% publicDeer Zone B5 · 25% publicDeer Zone X9a · 85% publicDeer Zone D14 · 54% publicDeer Zone X2 · 75% publicDeer Zone X3b · 63% publicDeer Zone X3a · 53% publicDeer Zone D9 · 48% publicDeer Zone D10 · 2.5% publicDeer Zone C3 · 19% publicDeer Zone D13 · 62% publicDeer Zone X6a · 53% publicDeer Zone X4 · 62% publicDeer Zone B3 · 42% publicDeer Zone X12 · 87% publicDeer Zone X10 · 95% publicDeer Zone B4 · 13% publicDeer Zone X5b · 74% publicDeer Zone C2 · 50% publicDeer Zone C1 · 25% publicDeer Zone X9b · 87% publicDeer Zone X7a · 57% publicDeer Zone X6b · 77% publicDeer Zone X5a · 74% publicDeer Zone X8 · 90% publicDeer Zone X7b · 61% public
0–10%10–25%25–50%50–75%75%+
Public land share per unit. Tap a unit to open it.

All 45 deer hunting zones, by public land

Sorted by public land share. Tap a column to re-sort.
Deer Zone X10 95% 945 Forest Service
Deer Zone X9c 95% 8,709 National Park Service
Deer Zone X8 90% 519 Forest Service
Deer Zone X9b 87% 741 Forest Service
Deer Zone X12 87% 1,030 Forest Service
Deer Zone X9a 85% 1,945 Forest Service
Deer Zone D17 83% 19,555 BLM
Deer Zone D12 78% 8,336 BLM
Deer Zone X6b 77% 687 Forest Service
Deer Zone B2 75% 3,837 Forest Service
Deer Zone X2 75% 1,617 Forest Service
Deer Zone X5b 74% 932 BLM
Deer Zone X5a 74% 542 BLM
Deer Zone X3b 63% 1,541 Forest Service
Deer Zone B6 62% 2,134 Forest Service
Deer Zone X1 62% 2,900 Forest Service
Deer Zone D13 62% 1,306 Forest Service
Deer Zone X4 62% 1,114 Forest Service
Deer Zone X7b 61% 334 Forest Service
Deer Zone X7a 57% 704 Forest Service
Deer Zone D7 56% 3,761 Forest Service
Deer Zone D14 54% 1,705 Forest Service
Deer Zone X6a 53% 1,232 Forest Service
Deer Zone D6 53% 5,018 Forest Service
Deer Zone X3a 53% 1,532 Forest Service
Deer Zone C2 50% 926 Forest Service
Deer Zone D9 48% 1,457 BLM
Deer Zone D8 47% 5,793 Forest Service
Deer Zone B1 46% 6,180 Forest Service
Deer Zone D11 45% 2,541 Forest Service
Deer Zone B3 42% 1,055 Forest Service
Deer Zone D3 39% 3,774 Forest Service
Deer Zone C4 36% 3,859 Forest Service
Deer Zone D16 33% 4,486 BLM
Deer Zone D19 32% 2,694 Forest Service
Deer Zone D5 29% 4,812 Forest Service
Deer Zone C1 25% 924 Forest Service
Deer Zone B5 25% 2,051 Forest Service
Deer Zone D4 24% 2,274 Forest Service
Deer Zone C3 19% 1,311 Forest Service
Deer Zone A (South Unit 110) 16% 26,556 Forest Service
Deer Zone D15 15% 3,257 Dept. of Defense
Deer Zone A (North Unit 160) 14% 9,048 BLM
Deer Zone B4 13% 933 BLM
Deer Zone D10 2.5% 1,379 BLM

California hunting season dates, 2026

Statewide general seasons from WikiHunt’s season table (updated Sep 2, 2026). Units, zones and draw hunts can differ, so confirm in the California regulations.

SpeciesSeason2026 datesNotes
Deer Archery DeerArchery Jul 11 – Aug 2 Zone A (earliest-opening general zone), first-come/OTC tag (quota 65,000). Heavy zone variation; X-zones & premium D-zones are limited-quota draw.
Deer General Rifle DeerRifle Aug 8 – Sep 20 Zone A general (earliest zone), first-come/OTC (quota 65,000). B/C/D zones open later; X-zones and premium D-zones are limited-quota draw.
Black bear General BearAny legal weapon Aug 8 – Dec 27 General bear opens concurrently with general deer in zones A/B/C/D/X8/X9A/X9B/X10/X12 (earliest = Zone A 8/8), Oct 10 in remaining X zones. Closes Dec 27 or at 1,700-bear statewide cap. OTC tag.
Turkey Fall TurkeyAny legal weapon Nov 14 – Dec 13 Statewide general fall turkey; general-license (no draw), upland game bird validation required.

When is the rut in California?

Mule deer and black-tailed deer

No published peak date found. The state's 2002 deer hunting guide says the rut runs anywhere from October in the coastal mountains to January in the southern deserts (CDFG, Hunting Deer in California) — check your zone's herd plan.

California rut dates · all states

Questions

How much of California is public land?

About 49% of the area covered by California’s deer hunting zones is federal or state public land in USGS PAD-US 4.1, led by U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.

Which California units have the most public land?

Deer Zone X10 (95%), Deer Zone X9c (95%), Deer Zone X8 (90%). The full table above sorts every unit.

When is deer season in California in 2026?

Archery Deer: Jul 11 – Aug 2; General Rifle Deer: Aug 8 – Sep 20. Unit and zone dates can differ; check the regulations.

Does WikiHunt have property lines for California?

Yes. Parcel boundaries for California are part of the Single State ($19.99 a year) and All States ($39.99 a year) plans in the app and on the web map.

Sources