Deer hunt A-30: Covelo Archery Buck Hunt
Hunt A-30, CDFW's Covelo Archery Buck Hunt, is an archery hunt on 773,274 acres of Mendocino County, inside deer Zone B1 and 1 other zone. The 2026 season runs November 14 to 29 with 40 tags. CDFW estimates 12 deer were taken on this hunt in 2025, with 32.4% 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 landState parkOther state or federal landHunt A-30Deer zone linesLake or riverHighway
| Hunt A-30, 2026 | Covelo Archery Buck Hunt: November 14 to 29, 40 tags |
|---|---|
| Counties | Mendocino |
| Size | 773,274 acres |
| Public land | 33% (255,493 acres) |
| Deer zone | Zone B1, Zone B3 |
| Hunt A-30, 2025 | 12 deer, 32.4% hunter success (CDFW) |
How many deer are taken on hunt A-30?
CDFW estimates 12 deer were taken on hunt A-30 in 2025: 12 bucks and 0 does. Hunters reported 8; 35.1% of tag holders did not report.
| Year | Tag quota | Bucks reported | Does reported | Deer taken (CDFW estimate) | Hunter success (CDFW) | Did not report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 40 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 32.4% | 35.1% |
| 2024 | 40 | 12 | 0 | 17 | 45.9% | 29.7% |
| 2023 | 40 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 36.8% | 7.9% |
| 2022 | 40 | 13 | 0 | 16 | 42.1% | 21.1% |
| 2021 | 40 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 39.4% | 18.2% |
| 2020 | 40 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 44.4% | 16.7% |
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-30?
Of the 8 bucks hunters reported with points recorded in the latest year, 3 had 4 points or more.
| Hunt and year | Spike | 2 points | 3 points | 4 points | 5 points or more | Does reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-30, 2025 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Source: CDFW 2025 California Deer Harvest Statistics, Table 2 (reported deer kill by antler class).
What are CDFW's rules for hunt A-30?
In CDFW's 2026 Big Game Drawing, 300 hunters put hunt A-30 first for 40 tags (36 by preference points). Source: CDFW 2026 Big Game Drawing statistics.
Bag limit: One buck, forked horn (see subsection 351(a)) or better, per tag. Tags in the regulations: 40.
Season: The season for hunt A-30 (Covelo Archery Buck Hunt) shall open on the second Saturday in November and extend for sixteen consecutive days.
Source: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 64, Title 14, Sections 360 and 361; dates and quotas: CDFW Approved 2026 Deer Seasons.
How much public land is in hunt A-30?
33% of the ground is national forest, BLM or CDFW land: 255,493 of 773,274 acres. The largest piece: Mendocino National Forest (183,107 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the hunt area |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 183,107 | 23.7% |
| BLM | 69,022 | 8.9% |
| Other state or federal land | 13,426 | 1.7% |
| CDFW land | 3,364 | 0.4% |
| State park | 703 | 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.
How do you get to hunt A-30?
Numbered highways through it, longest stretch first: US 101, CA 162 and CA 271. Towns inside: Covelo. Nearby: Willits (on the line), Leggett (on the line), Laytonville (on the line) and Ukiah (17 miles).
Deer zones the ground lies in: Zone B1 (755,812 acres) and Zone B3 (16,969 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many tags are there for hunt A-30?
CDFW's 2026 quota is 40 tags. In 2025 the quota was 40.
What is the success rate on hunt A-30?
CDFW puts 2025 hunter success at 32.4%: an estimated 12 deer on the tags issued. In 2024 it was 45.9% (17 deer).
When is hunt A-30 in 2026?
November 14 to 29, by CDFW's approved 2026 seasons. CDFW's rule: The season for hunt A-30 (Covelo Archery Buck Hunt) shall open on the second Saturday in November and extend for sixteen consecutive days.
Where is hunt A-30?
In Mendocino County, inside deer Zone B1. Towns in and near the ground: Covelo, Willits and Ukiah.
CDFW's boundary of hunt A-30
That portion of Mendocino County within a line beginning at the intersection of Highway 101 and the Humboldt-Mendocino county line; east along the Humboldt-Mendocino county line to the Trinity-Mendocino county line; east along Trinity-Mendocino county line to the Mendocino-Tehama county line; south on the Mendocino-Tehama county line to the Mendocino-Glenn county line; south on the Mendocino-Glenn county line to the Mendocino-Lake county line; west and south on the Mendocino-Lake county line to the Main Eel River; west and north on the Main Eel River to Hearst-Willits Road; southwest on Hearst-Willits Road to Commercial Avenue; west on Commercial Avenue to Highway 101; north on Highway 101 to the point of beginning.
From CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 64.
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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.