Deer Zone C4: California deer hunting by the numbers
Deer Zone C4 covers 3,864 square miles of Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties. 30.6% of it is national forest, BLM or CDFW land, most of that national forest (666,564 acres), by the California Protected Areas Database (CPAD 2026a). CDFW estimates hunters took 1,129 deer in Zone C4 in 2025 (1,129 bucks); CDFW puts hunter success at 30.1% for the C zones. The 2026 general season runs September 19 to October 4.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: CDFW's deer harvest reports, 2020 to 2025. Seasons and quotas: CDFW's approved 2026 seasons and the 2026-2027 regulations. Land: CPAD 2026a.
National forestBLMCDFW landNational wildlife refugeNational Park ServiceState parkOther state or federal landZone C4Neighboring zonesLake or riverHighway
| CDFW region | Region 1, Northern Region |
|---|---|
| Counties | Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama |
| Size | 2,472,890 acres (3,864 square miles) |
| Public land | 30.6% (755,814 acres) |
| Tag quota, 2026 | 8,150 (all C zones) |
| Archery, 2026 (hunt A-1) | August 15 to 30 |
| General season, 2026 | September 19 to October 4 |
| Bag limit | One buck, forked horn or better, per tag. |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 1,129 (CDFW estimate) |
| Hunter success, 2025 | 30.1% (CDFW), C zones |
| Towns in and near it | Chico, Paradise, Corning, Willows and Oroville |
How many deer are taken in Zone C4?
CDFW estimates 1,129 deer were taken in Zone C4 in 2025, up from 713 in 2024. Hunters reported 748 of them; CDFW adds an estimate for the 33.8% of tag holders who did not report. CDFW's tag quota and hunter success for Zone C4 are for the C zones together, because one C tag is good in any of them.
| Year | Tag quota | Tags issued | Bucks reported | Does reported | Deer taken (CDFW estimate) | Hunter success (CDFW) | Tag holders who did not report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,150 | not printed | 748 | 0 | 1,129 | 30.1% | 33.8% |
| 2024 | 8,150 | not printed | 517 | 0 | 713 | 20.5% | 27.4% |
| 2023 | 8,150 | not printed | 696 | 0 | 867 | 22.1% | 19.7% |
| 2022 | 8,150 | 8,136 | 652 | 0 | 827 | 21.4% | 20.9% |
| 2021 | 8,150 | 8,085 | 392 | 0 | 497 | 20.7% | 21.1% |
| 2020 | 8,150 | 8,080 | 379 | 0 | 466 | 15.1% | 18.7% |
Source: CDFW California Deer Harvest Statistics (2020 to 2025), Table 1. CDFW's hunter success is its estimated deer kill divided by tags issued. Harvest on Private Lands Management and Section 554 landowner programs is not included.
What size are the bucks taken in Zone C4?
Of the 748 bucks hunters reported with points recorded in 2025, 176 (23.5%) had 4 points or more and 258 had 3 points. CDFW counts antler points on one side.
| Year | Spike | 2 points | 3 points | 4 points | 5 points or more | Bucks with points recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 (0%) | 314 (42%) | 258 (34.5%) | 156 (20.9%) | 20 (2.7%) | 748 |
| 2024 | 0 (0%) | 233 (45.1%) | 172 (33.3%) | 94 (18.2%) | 18 (3.5%) | 517 |
| 2023 | 0 (0%) | 322 (46.3%) | 226 (32.5%) | 126 (18.1%) | 22 (3.2%) | 696 |
Source: CDFW 2025 California Deer Harvest Statistics, Table 2 (reported deer kill by antler class), and the two years before it. Shares are of the bucks reported with points recorded.
When is deer season in Zone C4 in 2026?
General season: September 19 to October 4, 2026. C zone tags are valid during the general season only in any C zone. CDFW's rule for the season: The season in Zone C-4 shall open on the third Saturday in September and extend for 16 consecutive days.
In CDFW's 2026 Big Game Drawing, 6,504 hunters put the C zones first for 8,150 tags (7,335 by preference points, 815 by draw-by-choice). For archery hunt A-1: 504 first-choice applicants for 1,945 tags. Source: CDFW 2026 Big Game Drawing statistics.
Archery hunting in Zone C4 is CDFW hunt A-1, C Zones Archery Only Hunt: August 15 to 30, 2026, 1,945 tags for the C zones together. In 2025 archers reported 178 deer taken in Zone C4 on that hunt.
Other CDFW deer hunts held in Zone C4 in 2026; G-1 uses the zone's own boundary:
| Hunt | Name | 2026 dates | 2026 tags | Deer taken, 2025 | Hunter success, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-1 | Late Season Buck Hunt for Zone C-4 | October 24 to November 1 | 2,710 | 955 | 35.6% |
| J-21 | East Tehama Apprentice Either-Sex Deer Hunt | September 19 to November 1 | 50 | 35 | 70% |
| J-3 | Tehama Wildlife Area Apprentice Buck Hunt | November 28 to 29 | 15 | 14 | 93.3% |
Harvest of these hunts: CDFW 2025 California Deer Harvest Statistics, Table 1, for the whole hunt, which may reach past Zone C4.
Deer taken in Zone C4 in 2025 on other hunts' tags, as hunters reported them: hunt G-1: 659, hunt J-3: 11, hunt J-9: 3 and hunt J-21: 25.
Source: CDFW Approved 2026 Deer Seasons and CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 42 (Title 14, Section 360). CDFW can change a season: check CDFW's deer zone page before you go.
How much public land is in Zone C4?
30.6% of Zone C4 is national forest, BLM or CDFW land: 755,814 of its 2,472,890 acres. The largest pieces are Lassen National Forest (559,019 acres) and Plumas National Forest (107,233 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone C4 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 666,564 | 27% |
| National Park Service | 108,119 | 4.4% |
| CDFW land | 53,796 | 2.2% |
| BLM | 35,454 | 1.4% |
| National wildlife refuge | 10,494 | 0.4% |
| State park | 3,637 | 0.1% |
| Other state or federal land | 618 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside CDFW's zone 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 in Zone C4: Tehama Wildlife Area (44,406 acres here), Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area (3,581 acres here), Sacramento River Wildlife Area (2,491 acres here), Oroville Wildlife Area (1,406 acres here), Coon Hollow Wildlife Area (725 acres here), Warner Valley Wildlife Area (702 acres here), Battle Creek Wildlife Area (458 acres here), Dales Lake Ecological Reserve (377 acres here), Butte Creek House Ecological Reserve (331 acres here), Merrill's Landing Wildlife Area (297 acres here), Butte Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve (281 acres here) and Butler Slough Ecological Reserve (54 acres here), and 1 smaller one.
Which elk and pronghorn zones overlap Zone C4?
Elk zones: Northeastern elk zone (717,764 acres inside Zone C4). Pronghorn zones: Pronghorn Zone 4 (Lassen) (287,621 acres). Elk and pronghorn tags are drawn in CDFW's big game drawing, apart from a few fundraising tags.
How do you get to Zone C4?
Numbered highways through it, longest stretch first: CA 32, CA 89, I-5, CA 36, CA 99 and CA 70. 47 Census places are inside it, among them Chico, Paradise, Corning, Orland, Tehama and Durham. Nearby: Willows (on the line), Oroville (on the line), Red Bluff (on the line) and Biggs (4 miles).
Which deer zones border Zone C4?
Zone C4 touches 6 other deer zones. Their size, public land and CDFW's 2025 numbers:
| Zone | Square miles | Public land | Deer taken, 2025 | Hunter success, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone B3 | 1,056 | 41.2% | 1,222 | 32.5% |
| Zone B5 | 2,054 | 21% | 1,309 | 32.5% |
| Zone C3 | 1,313 | 17.4% | 585 | 30.1% |
| Zone D3 | 3,778 | 37.7% | 2,509 | 19% |
| Zone X4 | 1,115 | 61.9% | 173 | 37.3% |
| Zone X6a | 1,234 | 48.7% | 247 | 77.2% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer tags are there for Zone C4?
CDFW's 2026 tag quota is 8,150, shared by the C zones: C zone tags are valid during the general season only in any C zone. In 2025 the quota was 8,150 and CDFW estimates 1,129 deer were taken here.
What is the hunter success rate in Zone C4?
CDFW puts 2025 hunter success at 30.1% for the C zones as a group. CDFW works it out as its estimated deer kill divided by tags issued. In 2024 it was 20.5%.
When does deer season open in Zone C4 in 2026?
The general season runs September 19 to October 4, 2026. Archery hunting here is a separate hunt, A-1, August 15 to 30. CDFW's rule: The season in Zone C-4 shall open on the third Saturday in September and extend for 16 consecutive days.
How much public land is in Zone C4?
30.6% of Zone C4, 755,814 acres, is national forest, BLM or CDFW land by CPAD 2026a. The largest pieces: Lassen National Forest (559,019 acres) and Plumas National Forest (107,233 acres).
Which CDFW lands are in Zone C4?
Tehama Wildlife Area (44,406 acres here), Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area (3,581 acres here), Sacramento River Wildlife Area (2,491 acres here), Oroville Wildlife Area (1,406 acres here) and Coon Hollow Wildlife Area (725 acres here), and 8 more, by CDFW's land boundaries.
CDFW's boundary of Zone C4
In those portions of Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, and Tehama counties within a line beginning at the junction of Interstate 5 and Cottonwood Creek at Cottonwood; east on Cottonwood Creek to the Sacramento River; south on the Sacramento River to Battle Creek; east on Battle Creek to the North Fork of Battle Creek; northeast on the North Fork of Battle Creek to Highway 44; east on Highway 44 to Highway 89 at the north entrance of Lassen Volcanic National Park; north and east on Highway 89 and 44 to the junction of Highway 44 at Old Station; south and east on Highway 44 to Highway 36 west of Susanville; west on Highway 36 to Highway 147 near Westwood; south on Highway 147 to Highway 89; south on Highway 89 to Highway 70; southwest on Highway 70 to Highway 162 at Oroville; west on Highway 162 to Interstate 5; north on Interstate 5 to Cottonwood Creek to the point of beginning.
From CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 42, Title 14, Section 360.
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, quotas, hunter success and antler classes: CDFW California Deer Harvest Statistics (2020 to 2025).
- 2026 seasons and quotas: CDFW Approved 2026 Deer Seasons; boundary, bag limit and season rule: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations.
- Public land: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) 2026a. Zone boundary: CDFW deer hunt zones (BIOS ds342, Title 14 Section 360).
- 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.
California hunting CDFW Region 1 Zone B3 Zone B5 Zone C3 Zone D3 Zone X4 Zone X6a