CDFW News

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

Wed, 13 May 2026 15:16:14 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 general season opening weekend, Aug. 8 and 9, 2026, in Merced County (Zone A). This is not a special hunt; the drawing is to control the number of hunters in these areas on opening weekend only.

Locations 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. 8, and Sunday, Aug. 9). Hunters can access the application online through the Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area or San Luis Reservoir Wildlife Area web pages or request an application by calling the CDFW Los Banos office at (209) 826-0463 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Applications may be submitted via email to LosBanosWA@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 6, 2026. Reservations will be selected by a computerized drawing at 11 a.m. July 9, 2026. The drawing is 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 2026-27 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 2026 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) 825-7120

Nonprofit Organizations Encouraged to Apply for Fundraising Hunting Tags

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:04:12 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) invites nonprofit organizations to assist with conservation efforts by auctioning special big game tags for the 2026-27 hunting season.

Proceeds from the sale of these tags are returned to CDFW to fund projects for bighorn sheep, deer, elk and pronghorn antelope. Last year’s auctions raised more than $1 million for the conservation and management of big game species. Past projects funded by the sale of these and other hunting tags have included crucial habitat conservation, post-wildfire forest restoration, wildlife population studies and the installation of artificial watering devices to support wildlife during drought conditions.

Up to 18 tags will be reserved for nonprofit organizations to sell or auction. Nonprofit organizations compete through an application process for a chance to auction these special tags, which can only be purchased by members of the public through these auctions. The application process is designed to ensure maximum proceeds are received from the tags to benefit wildlife.

Offering the tags through fundraising banquets and other in-person and online auctions can attract greater participation and overall turnout for the conservation groups awarded the tags, amplifying their own conservation efforts and benefits to California’s big game species.

A call for applications and the required application form are available at CDFW’s Fundraising with Big Game License Tags web page. Applications must be received by 3 p.m. on October 20, 2025.

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Media Contacts:
CDFW Wildlife Branch, BigGame@wildlife.ca.gov
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858

CDFW Seeks Public Input in Developing Statewide Deer Conservation and Management Plan

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:21:17 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is seeking public input in developing a Statewide Deer Conservation and Management Plan.

The public is invited to participate in a virtual workshop to help guide the development of the management plan. The two-hour session will provide an opportunity for members of the public to learn about the development process as well as the background and outline of the plan. Participants will also have the chance to ask questions and share input with CDFW staff.

Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Virtual Platform: Zoom. (https://wildlife-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/88628762826)

Input received during this scoping session will help guide the preparation of a draft plan, which CDFW anticipates releasing for public review early 2026.

The development of the Statewide Deer Conservation and Management Plan follows on the heels of the Black Bear Conservation and Management Plan for California (PDF) and The Conservation and Management Plan for Bighorn Sheep in California (PDF), both of which were released in April 2025.

For more information about the Statewide Deer Conservation and Management Plan or the public input meeting, please contact:

Brian Leo
Statewide Deer Coordinator
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
BigGame@wildlife.ca.gov

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Media Contacts:
Brian Leo, CDFW Wildlife Branch, (916) 628-0553
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858

California Deer Season is in Full Swing

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:37:22 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) celebrated the kickoff of deer season with the Zone A General Season opener August 9, 2025. Most other hunting zones across the state will open in September and October, providing ample opportunity for deer hunters statewide.

Detailed information about the specific zones and their opening dates can be found in CDFW’s approved 2025 deer seasons by zone (PDF).

Hunters looking to purchase deer tags should act promptly, as tag availability varies by zone. A current list of available deer tags (PDF) can be found online. Tags can be purchased through CDFW’s automated license and data system, or in person at a designated license agent. CDFW urges all hunters to familiarize themselves with regulations and to follow them carefully to support sustainable wildlife management and conservation efforts.

As a reminder, it is the responsibility of the hunter to ensure deer tags are properly affixed to the animal and validated before transporting harvested game. Tags can be validated by authorized individuals, including CDFW employees, firefighters, public notaries, peace officers, meat processors, USDA Forest Service staff and other designated state, federal and local agents. Validation is mandatory, the only exception is while the animal is being transported directly to the nearest authorized tag validator.

In response to recent detections of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the state, the California Fish and Game Commission has adopted regulations that define a CWD management zone as any deer hunt zone, or county, where CWD has been detected or is within 5 miles of a CWD detection. The regulations also provide the director authority to designate, based on management goals and feasibility, CWD management zones as mandatory sampling or mandatory sampling and handling zones.

For the 2025 hunting season, all hunters who harvest deer within hunt zones D7, X9a, X9b and X9c must have their animal sampled for CWD. All deer specialty hunts that occur within these deer hunt zones are included in the mandatory sampling. Please note that CWD testing is currently delayed. Hunters should continue to submit CWD samples. Testing hunter-harvests is vital to managing this disease and hunters continue to play a key role in CWD surveillance and management. For more information on CWD and how to get your harvest sampled for CWD testing, visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/CWD.

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Media Contacts:
Jen Benedet, Office of Communications, Education and Outreach, (916) 202-4465
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120

CDFW Introduces New Digital Tools to Track Wildlife Connectivity, Barriers

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 13:13:45 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is pleased to announce the launch of a new suite of online tools to help identify and address wildlife connectivity barriers across the state. These resources will make it easier for the public, planners, and partners to explore known barriers to wildlife movement and understand where action is needed to support animal migration and road safety.

“I am thrilled we can share these new online tools that will advance collaboration with our partners and ultimately improve wildlife connectivity and movement across the state,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “California is making tremendous progress on identifying and resolving wildlife connectivity barriers as exemplified by the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Southern California, the largest wildlife crossing of its kind in the nation now in the final stages of construction.”

Habitat connectivity is essential to the health and resilience of wildlife populations – especially in the face of increasing development and climate change. Transportation and other linear infrastructure can block wildlife movement, isolate populations, reduce genetic exchange and lead to increased wildlife-vehicle collisions. Addressing these barriers is critical to protect California’s diverse wildlife populations and provide increased road safety.

CDFW’s new Wildlife Connectivity Barriers web page features an interactive map and additional resources that allow users to identify, explore and understand the locations of known wildlife movement and barriers.

Key features of the Wildlife Connectivity Barriers web page include:

An interactive map showcasing over 200 high-priority barrier segments across 3,000 miles of roadways and infrastructure.
A searchable database with detailed information on each barrier, including species affected (e.g., deer, mountain lions, amphibians, reptiles) and prioritization data.
Online tools to export data, zoom in on relevant areas of interest, and print focal areas of concern.
Resources for planners and partners to inform conservation, restoration, and infrastructure planning.

In recent years, CDFW has taken major steps toward a more strategic and science-based approach to identifying and remediating wildlife connectivity barriers. The new digital tools build on CDFW’s first statewide assessment of priority barriers in 2020 (updated in 2022). This transition to an online format continues to build on years of interagency and partner collaboration and is designed to make barrier data more accessible, dynamic, and user-friendly.

This effort also leverages the 2024 California State Action Plan (PDF) developed under U.S. Department of Interior Secretarial Order No. 3362, which supports the conservation of big-game migration corridors across the western United States. Of the barriers identified in California, 21 intersect with lands prioritized under this plan, highlighting routes essential to ungulate species.

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Media Contacts:
Juan Torres, CDFW Wildlife Branch, (916) 268-3079
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858