News Room

Late spring and early summer is the peak time for California’s deer herds to give birth to fawns, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is issuing a reminder to well-intentioned people to not interact with the baby deer – even if they find one that appears to be abandoned.

California hunters can now purchase hunting licenses for the 2022-23 season, as well as apply for the Big Game Drawing online. Californians have many options to bring home wild game for their dinner table, and at this time, the current COVID-19 pandemic is not expected to lead to the closure or delay of any hunting seasons.

At its April meeting the California Fish and Game Commission acted on several issues affecting California’s natural resources. The following are just a few items of interest from this week’s meeting held in Monterey and Trinidad, with an option for the public to join via Zoom.

Many California deer, elk and pronghorn hunters whose 2021 seasons were cut short or eliminated as a result of wildfires and public land closures are now able to seek a reinstatement of their preference points and receive refunds of their tag fees in some cases.

CDFW is offering wild pig hunting opportunities in March, April and May at the Joice Island Unit of the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area in Solano County.

A Tehama County man has pleaded guilty to deer poaching charges stemming from an August 2020 poaching investigation. Kaden Pearce, 23, of Red Bluff, killed a large buck (male deer) in a local walnut orchard where he did not have legal permission to hunt. He then falsified the location information when he reported the deer harvest on his deer tag as required by hunting regulations.

CDFW invites nonprofit organizations to support wildlife research, habitat and management by auctioning off limited big game hunting tags for the 2022-23 season.