News Room

At its October 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 yesterday’s meeting.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced the temporary closure of the Ocean Ranch Unit within the Eel River Wildlife Area as habitat and restoration work intensifies there with the use of heavy equipment. The unit is being closed to all public access for safety.

California hunters and anglers have reason to celebrate Saturday, Sept. 25. Not only is it National Hunting and Fishing Day – a nationwide thank you to the contributions hunters and anglers make to fish and wildlife conservation – but California’s outdoor opportunities are opening up once again in time for peak fall hunting and fishing seasons.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has reopened 34 of its properties to public use as of Thursday, Sept. 16, following the announcement by the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region lifting the closure of most California forests.

CDFW has announced that the Shasta Valley Wildlife Area in Siskiyou County will be closed to waterfowl hunting for the entirety of the 2021-22 season as a result of lost wetlands and waterfowl habitat due to drought conditions.

CDFW is expanding the public hunting opportunities available within the Cosumnes River Preserve in southern Sacramento County to include, for the first time, three deer hunts this October.

California’s dove season opens Wednesday, Sept. 1, and CDFW has prepared crop fields at many of its most popular wildlife areas throughout the state to attract doves and provide productive dove hunting opportunities for the public.

As California’s 2021-22 waterfowl hunting season approaches, hunters may find that wildlife areas have limited space, particularly early in the season.

The USDA Forest Service has announced the temporary closure of nine national forests in northern California effective Sunday, Aug. 22 at 11:59 p.m. through Monday, Sept. 6 at 11:59 p.m. due to extreme fire conditions. A 10th forest, the El Dorado National Forest, was closed earlier this week due to wildfire.

CDFW will hold an online outreach meeting for licensed hunters to take comments and recommendations regarding hunting programs on Type A Wildlife Areas in the Bay Delta Region. The online meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 25, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. using Microsoft Teams.