Deer Hunting Tags for California’s Popular B-4 Zone Now Sold Out
OutdoorHub 10.12.11
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) advises hunters that tags for a popular deer hunting zone in northern California are sold out. Although Archery Only (AO) tags are still available for purchase and use in the B zones, no general season tags will be available for hunting within the B zones for the balance of the hunting season.
The B zones are located in northwest California and include all or part of the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Glenn, Tehama, Shasta, Trinity and Siskiyou. While the general deer hunting season within the B-4 zone is closed, areas within the B-1 through B-3, and B-5 and B-6 are still currently open. Check the DFG mammal hunting regulations for specific season closure dates at www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/deer/tags/docs/2011WEB-APPROVEDDeerZoneSeasons.pdf.
For the 2011 deer season, the Fish and Game Commission approved a quota of 35,000 tags for the B zones, as recommended by DFG staff. That represented a reduction of about 2,000 tags from the total sold for the B zones the previous year. The primary reason for the recommendation was that objectives for hunter success have not been reached in the B zones for many years. Hunter success objectives of 12-15 percent in zones B-1 through B-6 have only been met once in the last eight years.
It is not expected that the current lower quota in the B zones will result in a dramatic increase in hunter success compared to past years. However, it is a modest reduction in tags compared to the number sold in recent years and should increase the likelihood that DFG’s objectives for hunter success will be met.
California residents who wish to hunt in the state must purchase a hunting license and species-specific tags and permits as required by law. A first deer tag costs $29.16 and a second is $36.21. Licenses and tags can be purchased at local DFG license offices or online at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/ols/ and must be carried at all times in the field.
More information about hunting in California is at www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/.
