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California

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California Zone Finder

Answer six questions and get California deer zones, elk hunt areas, pronghorn and bighorn zones and bear, pig and turkey counties ranked by habitat fit, 2026–27 season dates, public land and CDFW harvest.

How the California finder works

CDFW reports estimated deer harvest by zone, elk and pronghorn harvest by hunt, and bear and wild pig take by county. This tool scores all 44 deer zones using the 2021–2025 Deer Harvest Reports, the 26 elk hunt areas and six pronghorn zones using CDFW hunt statistics, and every county for bear (2021–2024) and wild pig (license years 2021–22 to 2024–25), along with USGS land-cover and elevation data and the share of public land such as national forests and BLM land.

Season fit uses CDFW's 2026 deer seasons by zone, the additional (G, J, M, MA) and area-specific archery hunts that overlap each zone, the 2026–2027 Mammal Hunting Regulations for elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, bear and wild pig, and the 2026–2027 Waterfowl and Upland Game regulations for turkey, upland birds, waterfowl and doves.

Species covered

  • Mule deer
  • Black-tailed deer
  • Elk
  • Pronghorn antelope
  • Bighorn sheep
  • Wild pig
  • Black bear
  • Wild turkey

Upland birds (ranked by county)

  • Ring-necked pheasant
  • Chukar
  • Forest grouse
  • Ptarmigan
  • Quail

Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)

  • Ducks
  • Canada and dark geese
  • Snow and Ross's geese
  • Mourning dove

About every species on the species page →

Data sources

  • CDFW Deer Harvest Reports 2021–2025, Table 1 (estimated harvest by zone)
  • CDFW Elk Hunt Statistics 2021–2022 (tags and reported harvest by hunt, summed by hunt area)
  • CDFW Pronghorn Hunt Statistics 2021–2023
  • CDFW Interim Black Bear Take Report 2021–2023 and 2025 Black Bear Program Annual Report (2024 take by county)
  • CDFW Wild Pig Take Reports 2021–22 to 2024–25 (reported take by county)
  • CDFW 2026 deer seasons by zone and additional hunts; 2026–2027 Mammal Hunting Regulations; 2026–2027 Upland Game regulations
  • CDFW BIOS hunt zone layers (ds342, ds3241, ds3242, ds784, ds786, ds787)
  • USGS PAD-US 3.0 (Fee); NPS parks and monuments excluded
  • USGS NLCD 2021 Land Cover (250 m resample)
  • USGS 3DEP elevation service

California hunting FAQ

Which California deer zones have the most harvest?

Zone A (the coastal and central foothills) leads with about 8,300 deer a year, followed by B1 and B2 on the North Coast. Among mule deer zones, D5, D3 and D7 in the western Sierra lead; B3, B2 and D3 have the most deer per square mile.

Where are the most wild pigs taken in California?

Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Tehama and Mendocino counties lead CDFW's reported pig take. Wild pigs need a validation and can be hunted year-round with no bag limit.

When is the 2026 bear season in California?

Archery bear runs Aug. 15–Sept. 6, 2026. The general season opens with the general deer season in most zones (Oct. 10 in the eastern Sierra X zones) and closes Dec. 27, or earlier if 1,700 bears are reported.

Do I need nonlead ammunition in California?

Yes. Nonlead ammunition is required for all hunting in California, including upland birds and waterfowl.

California harvest leaders

The deer hunt zones with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.

Elk (2021–2022 average)

  1. Zone Grizzly-Island Grizzly Island elk hunt: 33 per year, 100% success
  2. Zone Marble-Mountains Marble Mountains elk hunt: 22 per year, 59% success
  3. Zone Northeastern Northeastern elk hunt: 22 per year, 70% success
  4. Zone Fort-Hunter-Liggett Fort Hunter Liggett elk hunt: 20 per year, 83% success
  5. Zone La-Panza La Panza elk hunt: 19 per year, 88% success

Pronghorn antelope (2021–2023 average)

  1. Zone 4 Zone 4 – Lassen: 60 per year, 87% success
  2. Zone 3 Zone 3 – Likely Tables: 26 per year, 45% success
  3. Zone 5 Zone 5 – Big Valley: 12 per year, 61% success
  4. Zone 6 Zone 6 – Surprise Valley: 11 per year, 80% success
  5. Zone 2 Zone 2 – Clear Lake: 10 per year, 81% success

Wild pig (2021–2024 average)

  1. Zone Monterey Monterey County: 718 per year
  2. Zone San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo County: 460 per year
  3. Zone Kern Kern County: 320 per year
  4. Zone Tehama Tehama County: 196 per year
  5. Zone Mendocino Mendocino County: 163 per year

Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Merced County: 335,353 per year
  2. Colusa County: 154,682 per year
  3. Butte County: 128,255 per year
  4. Glenn County: 92,782 per year
  5. Sutter County: 82,709 per year

Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Colusa County: 32,870 per year
  2. Glenn County: 23,960 per year
  3. Butte County: 17,190 per year
  4. Humboldt County: 15,648 per year
  5. Sutter County: 14,353 per year