CDFW Taking Applications for Opening Weekend Deer and Pig Hunting Access Permits for Cottonwood Creek, San Luis Reservoir Wildlife Areas

Wed, 21 May 2025 11:22:07 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is now accepting applications for a limited number of deer and wild pig hunting access permits for opening weekend, Aug. 9 and 10, 2025, in Merced County (Zone A) for the general season. This is not a special hunt; the drawing is to control the number of hunters in these areas on opening weekend only.

Locations for this hunt include Upper and Lower Cottonwood Creek and the San Luis Reservoir wildlife areas. Reservations are required for access to wildlife areas and only 30 permits will be issued for each day (Saturday, Aug.9, and Sunday, Aug.10). Hunters can apply online at Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area or San Luis Reservoir Wildlife Area pages or request an access permit application by calling the CDFW Los Banos office at (209) 826-0463 between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Applications may be submitted via email to Kimberly.Reynoso@wildlife.ca.gov or mailed to CDFW’s Los Banos office at 18110 W. Henry Miller Ave., Los Banos, CA 93635.

Only official applications will be accepted and must be received before 4 p.m. July 3, 2025. Reservations will be selected by a computerized drawing at 11 a.m. July 10, 2025. The drawing will be open to the public. Successful applicants will be notified by mail within five working days of the drawing. Results will not be given over the phone.

Applicants must have a 2025-26 hunting license. If drawn, hunters may take both deer and pig; it is the responsibility of the hunter to have the appropriate deer tag or wild pig validation.

Up to three people may apply as one party by including all the required information on the 2025 Zone A application form. Junior license holders aged 12 and older may also apply if accompanied by an adult hunter.&

Applicants may apply for a one-day hunt, in one area only. A hunter’s name may appear in the drawing only once. If a hunter’s name and GO ID# appears on any other applications, they will be disqualified from all drawings.

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Media Contacts:
Lara Sparks, CDFW Los Banos Wildlife Area, (209) 826-0463
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 322-8958

California’s In-person Hunter Education Instruction Returns; Online Courses Remain a Permanent Option

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 10:15:59 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is bringing back in-person instruction as an option for prospective hunters to take the required hunter education course. Until 2020, students were required to attend at least part of the course in person, prior to earning a hunting license; during the COVID-19 pandemic, the department shifted to an online-only instruction model. While in-person classes are being offered again, the online-only course will remain an option.

CDFW administers the Hunter Education Program along with managing nearly 1,000 volunteer hunter education instructors who conduct the actual instruction. The in-person portion of the instruction involves hands-on training, including safe handling of firearms, loading and unloading, storage, etc. Many in-person courses also include live fire exercises at a shooting range.

There are now three formats available for earning a hunter education certificate.

Traditional: The traditional hunter education course is the same as it was pre-pandemic, consisting of a minimum of 10 hours of classroom instruction, homework and field instruction. The traditional course allows for individual interaction with an instructor and is most often preferred by and recommended for first-time hunters. Traditional courses are offered in multiple languages throughout the state.

Hybrid: This option, which was offered prior to the pandemic, allows the student to complete the majority of the academic based learning online. Once this is complete, the student attends a four-hour follow-up class which includes instructor lead review and hands-on training.

Online-only: The online-only certification course was implemented as a result of COVID-19 and will remain an option to earn hunter education certification.

Prospective hunters may go to https://wildlife.ca.gov/Hunter-Education for more information on how to sign up for a course.

To raise safety and conservation awareness, California’s first hunter education law was enacted in 1954. California requires hunter education training for those who have never held a California hunting license, who do not have a hunter education certificate, or who do not have a hunting license from another state or province issued within the past two years. In-person instructor-led courses are offered throughout the state by Hunter Education Instructors with an extensive track record of dedication to educating new hunters about firearm safety and handling, sportsmanship and ethics, wildlife management and conservation, archery, black powder firearms, wildlife identification, game care, first aid and survival.

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Media Contact:
Capt. Patrick Foy, CDFW Law Enforcement Division, (916) 508-7095

CDFW News

CDFW Taking Applications for Opening Weekend Deer and Pig Hunting Access Permits for Cottonwood Creek, San Luis Reservoir Wildlife Areas

California’s In-person Hunter Education Instruction Returns; Online Courses Remain a Permanent Option