Deer hunt A-24: Monterey Archery Either-Sex Deer Hunt
Hunt A-24, CDFW's Monterey Archery Either-Sex Deer Hunt, is an archery hunt on 2,103,907 acres of Monterey County, inside deer Zone A. The 2026 season runs October 10 to November 8 with 100 tags. CDFW estimates 28 deer were taken on this hunt in 2025, with 28.6% hunter success.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: CDFW's deer harvest reports, 2020 to 2025. Seasons and tags: CDFW's approved 2026 seasons. Rules: the 2026-2027 regulations. Land: CPAD 2026a.
National forestBLMCDFW landNational wildlife refugeNational Park ServiceState parkOther state or federal landHunt A-24Deer zone linesLake or riverHighway
| Hunt A-24, 2026 | Monterey Archery Either-Sex Deer Hunt: October 10 to November 8, 100 tags |
|---|---|
| Counties | Monterey |
| Size | 2,103,907 acres |
| Public land | 16.7% (351,727 acres) |
| Deer zone | Zone A |
| Hunt A-24, 2025 | 28 deer, 28.6% hunter success (CDFW) |
How many deer are taken on hunt A-24?
CDFW estimates 28 deer were taken on hunt A-24 in 2025: 21 bucks and 8 does. Hunters reported 18; 36.7% of tag holders did not report.
| Year | Tag quota | Bucks reported | Does reported | Deer taken (CDFW estimate) | Hunter success (CDFW) | Did not report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 100 | 13 | 5 | 28 | 28.6% | 36.7% |
| 2024 | 100 | 15 | 3 | 24 | 24% | 24% |
| 2023 | 100 | 14 | 5 | 22 | 22.4% | 14.3% |
| 2022 | 100 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 24.2% | 11.1% |
| 2021 | 100 | 14 | 6 | 23 | 23.5% | 15.3% |
| 2020 | 100 | 11 | 2 | 16 | 18.4% | 19.5% |
Source: CDFW California Deer Harvest Statistics (2020 to 2025), Table 1. CDFW's hunter success is its estimated deer kill divided by tags issued.
What size are the bucks taken on hunt A-24?
Of the 11 bucks hunters reported with points recorded in the latest year, 0 had 4 points or more.
| Hunt and year | Spike | 2 points | 3 points | 4 points | 5 points or more | Does reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-24, 2025 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Source: CDFW 2025 California Deer Harvest Statistics, Table 2 (reported deer kill by antler class).
What are CDFW's rules for hunt A-24?
In CDFW's 2026 Big Game Drawing, 202 hunters put hunt A-24 first for 100 tags (90 by preference points). Source: CDFW 2026 Big Game Drawing statistics.
Bag limit: One either-sex deer (see subsection 351(c)) per tag. Tags in the regulations: 100.
Season: The season for hunt A-24 (Monterey Archery Either-Sex Deer Hunt) shall open on the second Saturday in October and extend for 30 consecutive days.
Source: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 63, Title 14, Sections 360 and 361; dates and quotas: CDFW Approved 2026 Deer Seasons.
How much public land is in hunt A-24?
16.7% of the ground is national forest, BLM or CDFW land: 351,727 of 2,103,907 acres. The largest piece: Los Padres National Forest (310,672 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the hunt area |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 312,295 | 14.8% |
| BLM | 30,462 | 1.4% |
| State park | 14,908 | 0.7% |
| CDFW land | 8,970 | 0.4% |
| Other state or federal land | 7,799 | 0.4% |
| National Park Service | 2,825 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge | 354 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside CDFW's hunt boundary from California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) 2026a. "Public land" on this page means national forest, BLM and CDFW land, the three managers whose ground is open to hunting under their own rules. National Park Service land, state parks and most other public ground are listed but not counted: hunting there is closed or limited. Land held by cities, counties, districts and private groups is not shown.
CDFW wildlife areas and ecological reserves inside: Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve (1,773 acres), Moss Landing Wildlife Area (741 acres) and Big Sandy Wildlife Area (359 acres).
How do you get to hunt A-24?
Numbered highways through it, longest stretch first: US 101, CA 1, CA 68, CA 198, CA 156 and CA 25. Towns inside: Salinas, Seaside, Marina, Soledad, King City and Greenfield. Nearby: Monterey (on the line), Watsonville (2 miles), San Juan Bautista (3 miles) and Gilroy (7 miles).
Deer zones the ground lies in: Zone A (2,102,477 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many tags are there for hunt A-24?
CDFW's 2026 quota is 100 tags. In 2025 the quota was 100.
What is the success rate on hunt A-24?
CDFW puts 2025 hunter success at 28.6%: an estimated 28 deer on the tags issued. In 2024 it was 24% (24 deer).
When is hunt A-24 in 2026?
October 10 to November 8, by CDFW's approved 2026 seasons. CDFW's rule: The season for hunt A-24 (Monterey Archery Either-Sex Deer Hunt) shall open on the second Saturday in October and extend for 30 consecutive days.
Where is hunt A-24?
In Monterey County, inside deer Zone A. Towns in and near the ground: Salinas, Seaside, Marina, Monterey and Watsonville.
CDFW's boundary of hunt A-24
All of Monterey County, except Fort Ord Military Reservation.
From CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 63.
Get a California hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for California are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, California included.
Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, quotas and hunter success: CDFW California Deer Harvest Statistics (2020 to 2025).
- 2026 dates and tags: CDFW Approved 2026 Deer Seasons; rules and boundary: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations.
- Public land: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) 2026a. Hunt boundaries: CDFW additional deer hunts (BIOS ds3241); CDFW archery deer hunts (BIOS ds3242, Title 14 Section 361).
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Numbers are copied from CDFW, CPAD and the Census Bureau, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.