Round Valley deer hunts G-39 and J-12
CDFW holds 2 deer hunts on the same 224,818 acres of Inyo and Mono counties, inside deer Zone X9a: G-39, Round Valley Late Season Buck Hunt (October 24 to November 8, 2 tags) and J-12, Round Valley Apprentice Buck Hunt (December 5 to 20, 10 tags). CDFW estimates 12 deer were taken on them in 2025: 2 on G-39 (100% success) and 10 on J-12 (100% 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 landOther state or federal landRound ValleyDeer zone linesLake or riverHighway
| Hunt G-39, 2026 | Round Valley Late Season Buck Hunt: October 24 to November 8, 2 tags |
|---|---|
| Hunt J-12, 2026 | Round Valley Apprentice Buck Hunt: December 5 to 20, 10 tags |
| Counties | Inyo and Mono |
| Size | 224,818 acres |
| Public land | 86.5% (194,511 acres) |
| Deer zone | Zone X9a |
| Hunt G-39, 2025 | 2 deer, 100% hunter success (CDFW) |
| Hunt J-12, 2025 | 10 deer, 100% hunter success (CDFW) |
How many deer are taken on the Round Valley deer hunts?
CDFW's estimates for each hunt, 2020 to 2025. In 2025: G-39 2 deer (2 bucks, 0 does) and J-12 10 deer (10 bucks, 0 does).
| Hunt | Year | Tag quota | Bucks reported | Does reported | Deer taken (CDFW estimate) | Hunter success (CDFW) | Did not report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-39 | 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| G-39 | 2024 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% | 0% |
| G-39 | 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| G-39 | 2022 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 100% | 50% |
| G-39 | 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% | 0% |
| G-39 | 2020 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% | 0% |
| J-12 | 2025 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 100% | 50% |
| J-12 | 2024 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 100% | 20% |
| J-12 | 2023 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 77.8% | 11.1% |
| J-12 | 2022 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 100% | 20% |
| J-12 | 2021 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 100% | 10% |
| J-12 | 2020 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 100% | 10% |
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 the Round Valley deer hunts?
Of the 7 bucks hunters reported with points recorded in the latest year, 6 had 4 points or more.
| Hunt and year | Spike | 2 points | 3 points | 4 points | 5 points or more | Does reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-39, 2025 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| J-12, 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Source: CDFW 2025 California Deer Harvest Statistics, Table 2 (reported deer kill by antler class).
What are CDFW's rules for the Round Valley deer hunts?
In CDFW's 2026 Big Game Drawing, 697 hunters put hunt G-39 first for 2 tags (1 by preference points) and 522 hunters put hunt J-12 first for 10 tags (5 by preference points). Source: CDFW 2026 Big Game Drawing statistics.
G-39, Round Valley Late Season Buck Hunt
Bag limit: One buck, forked horn (see subsection 351(a)) or better, per tag. Tags in the regulations: 2.
CDFW's note for G-39: In 2026-2027, G-39 is part of the CWD Management Zone and hunters shall submit a CWD sample to CDFW within 10 days of harvest. Hunters are also encouraged to leave brain, spinal column, and gut pile at the harvest site.
Season: The season for additional hunt G-39 (Round Valley Late Season Buck Hunt) shall open on the fourth Saturday in October and extend for 16 consecutive days.
J-12, Round Valley Apprentice Buck Hunt
Bag limit: One buck, forked horn (see subsection 351(a)) or better, per tag. Tags in the regulations: 10.
CDFW's note for J-12: In 2026-2027, J-12 is part of the CWD Management Zone and hunters shall submit a CWD sample to CDFW within 10 days of harvest. Hunters are also encouraged to leave brain, spinal column, and gut pile at the harvest site.
Season: The season for additional hunt J-12 (Round Valley Apprentice Buck Hunt) shall open on the first Saturday in December and extend for 16 consecutive days.
- 1. Only junior license holders shall apply (see subsection 708.2). 2. Tagholders shall be accompanied by an adult chaperon 18 years of age or older while hunting.
Source: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 53, Title 14, Sections 360 and 361; dates and quotas: CDFW Approved 2026 Deer Seasons.
How much public land is in the Round Valley deer hunts?
86.5% of the ground is national forest, BLM or CDFW land: 194,511 of 224,818 acres. The largest piece: Inyo National Forest (173,517 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the hunt area |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 173,526 | 77.2% |
| BLM | 20,284 | 9% |
| CDFW land | 701 | 0.3% |
| Other state or federal land | 150 | 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: Round Valley Wildlife Area (377 acres) and Buttermilk Country Wildlife Area (325 acres).
How do you get to the Round Valley deer hunts?
Numbered highways through it, longest stretch first: US 395, CA 203 and CA 168. Towns inside: Mammoth Lakes, Bishop, Round Valley, West Bishop, Swall Meadows and Paradise. Nearby: Sunny Slopes (on the line), Dixon Lane-MeadowCreek (on the line), Mesa (on the line) and Wilkerson (6 miles).
Deer zones the ground lies in: Zone X9a (224,585 acres).
Questions hunters ask
Which deer hunts are held on the Round Valley ground?
G-39 (Round Valley Late Season Buck Hunt) and J-12 (Round Valley Apprentice Buck Hunt), by CDFW's 2026 regulations. All 2 use the same boundary.
How many tags are there for the Round Valley hunts?
G-39: 2 and J-12: 10 in 2026. Only junior license holders may apply for an apprentice hunt.
What is the success rate on the Round Valley hunts?
CDFW's 2025 hunter success: G-39 100% (2 deer) and J-12 100% (10 deer). CDFW works it out as its estimated kill divided by tags issued.
When are the Round Valley hunts in 2026?
G-39: October 24 to November 8 and J-12: December 5 to 20, by CDFW's approved 2026 seasons.
Where are the Round Valley hunts?
In Inyo and Mono counties, inside deer Zone X9a. Towns in and near the ground: Mammoth Lakes, Bishop, Round Valley, Sunny Slopes and Dixon Lane-MeadowCreek.
CDFW's boundary of the Round Valley hunts
In that portion of Inyo and Mono counties within a line beginning at the intersection of U.S. Highway 395 and California Highway 168; west and south along Highway 168 to the North Lake Road turnoff; west along the North Lake Road and the Piute Pass Trail to the Inyo-Fresno county line; north along the Inyo-Fresno county line to the Mono-Fresno county line; north along the Mono-Fresno and Mono-Madera county lines to the junction of the Mono-Madera county line and California Highway 203 at Minaret Summit; southeast along Highway 203 to its junction with Highway 395; south along Highway 395 to the point of beginning.
From CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 53, hunt G-39.
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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.