Devil's Garden deer hunts M-9 and A-27
CDFW holds 2 deer hunts on the same 419,388 acres of Modoc County, inside deer Zone X2: M-9, Devil's Garden Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt (October 24 to November 8, 15 tags) and A-27, Devil's Garden Archery Buck Hunt (October 24 to November 8, 10 tags). CDFW estimates 16 deer were taken on them in 2025: 10 on M-9 (71.4% success) and 6 on A-27 (75% 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 forestBLMNational wildlife refugeOther state or federal landDevil's GardenDeer zone linesLake or riverHighway
| Hunt M-9, 2026 | Devil's Garden Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt: October 24 to November 8, 15 tags |
|---|---|
| Hunt A-27, 2026 | Devil's Garden Archery Buck Hunt: October 24 to November 8, 10 tags |
| Counties | Modoc |
| Size | 419,388 acres |
| Public land | 82.9% (347,480 acres) |
| Deer zone | Zone X2 |
| Hunt M-9, 2025 | 10 deer, 71.4% hunter success (CDFW) |
| Hunt A-27, 2025 | 6 deer, 75% hunter success (CDFW) |
How many deer are taken on the Devil's Garden deer hunts?
CDFW's estimates for each hunt, 2020 to 2025. In 2025: M-9 10 deer (10 bucks, 0 does) and A-27 6 deer (6 bucks, 0 does).
| Hunt | Year | Tag quota | Bucks reported | Does reported | Deer taken (CDFW estimate) | Hunter success (CDFW) | Did not report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-9 | 2025 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 71.4% | 21.4% |
| M-9 | 2024 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 61.5% | 7.7% |
| M-9 | 2023 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 64.3% | 0% |
| M-9 | 2022 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 76.9% | 15.4% |
| M-9 | 2021 | 15 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 84.6% | 0% |
| M-9 | 2020 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 60% | 0% |
| A-27 | 2025 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 75% | 12.5% |
| A-27 | 2024 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 25% | 37.5% |
| A-27 | 2023 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 70% | 20% |
| A-27 | 2022 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11.1% | 11.1% |
| A-27 | 2021 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 50% | 25% |
| A-27 | 2020 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22.2% | 0% |
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 Devil's Garden deer hunts?
Of the 13 bucks hunters reported with points recorded in the latest year, 12 had 4 points or more.
| Hunt and year | Spike | 2 points | 3 points | 4 points | 5 points or more | Does reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-9, 2025 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| A-27, 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Source: CDFW 2025 California Deer Harvest Statistics, Table 2 (reported deer kill by antler class).
What are CDFW's rules for the Devil's Garden deer hunts?
In CDFW's 2026 Big Game Drawing, 651 hunters put hunt M-9 first for 15 tags (14 by preference points) and 172 hunters put hunt A-27 first for 10 tags (9 by preference points). Source: CDFW 2026 Big Game Drawing statistics.
M-9, Devil's Garden Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt
Bag limit: One buck, forked horn (see subsection 351(a)) or better, per tag. Tags in the regulations: 15.
Season: The season for additional hunt M-9 (Devil's Garden Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt) shall open on the fourth Saturday in October and extend for 16 consecutive days.
- Only muzzleloading rifles as specified in Section 353 may be used.
A-27, Devil's Garden Archery Buck Hunt
Bag limit: One buck, forked horn (see subsection 351(a)) or better, per tag. Tags in the regulations: 10.
Season: The season for hunt A-27 (Devil's Garden Archery Buck Hunt) shall open on the fourth Saturday in October and extend for 16 consecutive days.
Source: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 55, Title 14, Sections 360 and 361; dates and quotas: CDFW Approved 2026 Deer Seasons.
How much public land is in the Devil's Garden deer hunts?
82.9% of the ground is national forest, BLM or CDFW land: 347,480 of 419,388 acres. The largest piece: Modoc National Forest (343,063 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the hunt area |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 343,063 | 81.8% |
| National wildlife refuge | 24,793 | 5.9% |
| Other state or federal land | 9,584 | 2.3% |
| BLM | 4,417 | 1.1% |
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 the Devil's Garden deer hunts?
Numbered highways through it, longest stretch first: CA 139. Nearby: Newell (2 miles), Canby (6 miles), Tulelake (7 miles) and California Pines (17 miles).
Deer zones the ground lies in: Zone X2 (419,331 acres).
Questions hunters ask
Which deer hunts are held on the Devil's Garden ground?
M-9 (Devil's Garden Muzzleloading Rifle Buck Hunt) and A-27 (Devil's Garden Archery Buck Hunt), by CDFW's 2026 regulations. All 2 use the same boundary.
How many tags are there for the Devil's Garden hunts?
M-9: 15 and A-27: 10 in 2026.
What is the success rate on the Devil's Garden hunts?
CDFW's 2025 hunter success: M-9 71.4% (10 deer) and A-27 75% (6 deer). CDFW works it out as its estimated kill divided by tags issued.
When are the Devil's Garden hunts in 2026?
M-9: October 24 to November 8 and A-27: October 24 to November 8, by CDFW's approved 2026 seasons.
Where are the Devil's Garden hunts?
In Modoc County, inside deer Zone X2. Towns in and near the ground: Tulelake and Newell.
CDFW's boundary of the Devil's Garden hunts
That portion of Modoc County within a line beginning at the intersection of the Malin Road (Modoc County 114) and the California/Oregon state line; east along the state line to the Crowder Flat Road; south along the Crowder Flat Road to the Blue Mountain Road (Modoc County 136); west on the Blue Mountain Road to the Blue Mountain-Mowitz Butte-Ambrose Road; south on the Blue Mountain-Mowitz Butte-Ambrose Road to Highway 139; north on Highway 139 to the Malin Road; north on the Malin Road to the point of beginning.
From CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 55, hunt M-9.
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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.