Bass Hill deer hunts M-8 and A-26
CDFW holds 2 deer hunts on the same 366,286 acres of Lassen County, inside deer Zone X6a: M-8, Bass Hill Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt (October 24 to November 1, 20 tags) and A-26, Bass Hill Archery Buck Hunt (November 21 to December 13, 30 tags). CDFW estimates 27 deer were taken on them in 2025: 10 on M-8 (71.4% success) and 17 on A-26 (58.6% 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 landBass HillDeer zone linesLake or riverHighway
| Hunt M-8, 2026 | Bass Hill Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt: October 24 to November 1, 20 tags |
|---|---|
| Hunt A-26, 2026 | Bass Hill Archery Buck Hunt: November 21 to December 13, 30 tags |
| Counties | Lassen |
| Size | 366,286 acres |
| Public land | 17.9% (65,649 acres) |
| Deer zone | Zone X6a |
| Hunt M-8, 2025 | 10 deer, 71.4% hunter success (CDFW) |
| Hunt A-26, 2025 | 17 deer, 58.6% hunter success (CDFW) |
How many deer are taken on the Bass Hill deer hunts?
CDFW's estimates for each hunt, 2020 to 2025. In 2025: M-8 10 deer (10 bucks, 0 does) and A-26 17 deer (17 bucks, 0 does).
| Hunt | Year | Tag quota | Bucks reported | Does reported | Deer taken (CDFW estimate) | Hunter success (CDFW) | Did not report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-8 | 2025 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 71.4% | 21.4% |
| M-8 | 2024 | 20 | 17 | 0 | 18 | 94.7% | 5.3% |
| M-8 | 2023 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 77.8% | 16.7% |
| M-8 | 2022 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 57.1% | 0% |
| M-8 | 2021 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 52.9% | 23.5% |
| M-8 | 2020 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 35.3% | 11.8% |
| A-26 | 2025 | 30 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 58.6% | 17.2% |
| A-26 | 2024 | 30 | 11 | 0 | 18 | 69.2% | 38.5% |
| A-26 | 2023 | 30 | 16 | 0 | 17 | 60.7% | 7.1% |
| A-26 | 2022 | 30 | 17 | 0 | 18 | 62.1% | 10.3% |
| A-26 | 2021 | 30 | 15 | 0 | 17 | 63% | 14.8% |
| A-26 | 2020 | 30 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 75% | 3.6% |
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 Bass Hill deer hunts?
Of the 22 bucks hunters reported with points recorded in the latest year, 16 had 4 points or more.
| Hunt and year | Spike | 2 points | 3 points | 4 points | 5 points or more | Does reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-8, 2025 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| A-26, 2025 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Source: CDFW 2025 California Deer Harvest Statistics, Table 2 (reported deer kill by antler class).
What are CDFW's rules for the Bass Hill deer hunts?
In CDFW's 2026 Big Game Drawing, 151 hunters put hunt M-8 first for 20 tags (18 by preference points) and 462 hunters put hunt A-26 first for 30 tags (27 by preference points). Source: CDFW 2026 Big Game Drawing statistics.
M-8, Bass Hill Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt
Bag limit: One buck, forked horn (see subsection 351(a)) or better, per tag. Tags in the regulations: 20.
Season: The season for additional hunt M-8 (Bass Hill Muzzleloading Rifle Buck) shall open on the fourth Saturday in October and extend for 9 consecutive days.
- Only muzzleloading rifles as specified in Section 353 may be used.
A-26, Bass Hill Archery Buck Hunt
Bag limit: One buck, forked horn (see subsection 351(a)) or better, per tag. Tags in the regulations: 30.
Season: The season for hunt A-26 (Bass Hill Archery Buck Hunt) shall open on the third Saturday in November and extend for 23 consecutive days.
Source: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 54, Title 14, Sections 360 and 361; dates and quotas: CDFW Approved 2026 Deer Seasons.
How much public land is in the Bass Hill deer hunts?
17.9% of the ground is national forest, BLM or CDFW land: 65,649 of 366,286 acres. The largest pieces: Lassen National Forest (30,759 acres) and Plumas National Forest (12,006 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the hunt area |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 42,765 | 11.7% |
| CDFW land | 13,088 | 3.6% |
| Other state or federal land | 9,923 | 2.7% |
| BLM | 9,796 | 2.7% |
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: Honey Lake Wildlife Area (7,716 acres) and Bass Hill Wildlife Area (5,483 acres).
How do you get to the Bass Hill deer hunts?
Numbered highways through it, longest stretch first: CA 36. Towns inside: Janesville, Johnstonville, Westwood and Milford. Nearby: Patton Village (on the line), Herlong (on the line), Clear Creek (on the line) and Susanville (2 miles).
Deer zones the ground lies in: Zone X6a (366,286 acres).
Questions hunters ask
Which deer hunts are held on the Bass Hill ground?
M-8 (Bass Hill Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt) and A-26 (Bass Hill Archery Buck Hunt), by CDFW's 2026 regulations. All 2 use the same boundary.
How many tags are there for the Bass Hill hunts?
M-8: 20 and A-26: 30 in 2026.
What is the success rate on the Bass Hill hunts?
CDFW's 2025 hunter success: M-8 71.4% (10 deer) and A-26 58.6% (17 deer). CDFW works it out as its estimated kill divided by tags issued.
When are the Bass Hill hunts in 2026?
M-8: October 24 to November 1 and A-26: November 21 to December 13, by CDFW's approved 2026 seasons.
Where are the Bass Hill hunts?
In Lassen County, inside deer Zone X6a. Towns in and near the ground: Janesville, Johnstonville, Westwood, Susanville and Patton Village.
CDFW's boundary of the Bass Hill hunts
That portion of Lassen County within the area described as Zone X-6a (see subsection 360(b)(8) (A)).
From CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 54, hunt M-8.
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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.