Home LandsPlaces to VisitCottonwood Creek WA

Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area

View of rolling hills with oak trees and large boulders
Upper Unit at Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area

Description

Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area is approximately 6,300 acres of steep oak-grassland (Upper unit) and steep hilly grassland (Lower unit). Wildlife includes wild pigs, black-tailed deer, gray fox, and 100 species of birds.

For more information, call the Los Banos office at (209) 826-0463.

Map of Cottonwood Creek WA - click to enlarge in new window
Click to enlarge

Location

Central Region (Region 4)

Merced and Santa Clara counties

36 miles east of Gilroy and northeast of Hwy 152

General Location Map (PDF)

CDFW Lands Viewer

Recreational Opportunities

Wildlife Viewing Hunting with Shotguns Bow Hunting Deer Hunting Wild Pig Hunting

Activities: wildlife viewing and hunting

For more information about pig and deer hunting application, see the news release. Access the application (PDF).

Hunting:

Type C: Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area, including the Upper Cottonwood Unit and Lower Cottonwood Unit, does not require the purchase of a hunting pass for entry. Entry permits and/or passes or special drawing may be required for hunting on some Type C wildlife areas.

Unit Maps: Lower (PDF) | Upper (PDF)

NOTE: Visitors are responsible for knowing and complying with all regulations pertaining to the use of Department lands.

Refer to the Public Uses on State and Federal Lands section of the Waterfowl, Upland Game, and Public Use Regulations (PDF) booklet for both statewide and property-specific regulations.

no drones icon
You may not operate a drone on CDFW Lands without a Special Use Permit.

Area History

Past land use, from the Rancho San Luis Gonzaga Spanish land grant days until the Department assumed management responsibility, was for cattle grazing. The property was designated as a wildlife area by the Fish and Game Commission in 1978.

Wildlife Branch - Lands Program
Mailing: P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090