Lake Pillsbury elk zone: California elk hunting by the numbers
The Lake Pillsbury elk zone covers 468 square miles of Lake County and is hunted for tule elk. 78.3% is national forest, BLM or CDFW land (CPAD 2026a). CDFW's 2026 regulations list 5 hunts here with 12 tags in all. In 2022, CDFW's elk hunt statistics show 5 elk taken on 6 tags, with 1,290 applications for this zone's hunts.
Data updated October 2026. Hunt statistics: CDFW, 2017 to 2022. 2026 hunts and tags: CDFW's 2026-2027 regulations. Land: CPAD 2026a.
National forestBLMOther state or federal landLake PillsburyNeighboring zonesLake or riverHighway
| CDFW region | Region 2, North Central Region |
|---|---|
| Elk | Tule elk |
| Counties | Lake |
| Size | 299,662 acres (468 square miles) |
| Public land | 78.3% (234,667 acres) |
| Hunts and tags, 2026 | 5 hunts, 12 tags |
| Taken, 2022 | 5 on 6 tags (CDFW) |
| Applications, 2022 | 1,290 for this zone's hunts |
| Towns in and near it | Nice, Upper Lake, Lakeport and Ukiah |
What elk hunts are in the Lake Pillsbury zone in 2026?
CDFW's 2026-2027 regulations list 5 hunts for this zone, 12 tags in all:
| Hunt | Type | 2026 tags | 2026 dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Pillsbury Period 1 General Methods Antlerless | General Methods | 4 | August 29 to September 4 |
| Lake Pillsbury Period 2 General Methods Antlerless | General Methods | 2 | September 5 to 11 |
| Lake Pillsbury Period 3 General Methods Antlerless | General Methods | 2 | September 12 to 18 |
| Lake Pillsbury Period 4 General Methods Bull | General Methods | 2 | September 26 to October 2 |
| Lake Pillsbury Period 5 General Methods Bull | General Methods | 2 | October 3 to 9 |
Source: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 88; hunt codes and dates: CDFW 2026 Elk Hunt Dates and General Information.
In CDFW's 2026 Big Game Drawing, 1,390 applications went to this zone's hunts:
| Hunt code | Hunt | Tags | By preference points | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 390 | Lake Pillsbury Period 4 - General Methods - Bull | 2 | 1 | 664 |
| 391 | Lake Pillsbury Period 5 - General Methods - Bull | 2 | 1 | 398 |
| 387 | Lake Pillsbury Period 1 - General Methods - Antlerless | 4 | 3 | 127 |
| 388 | Lake Pillsbury Period 2 - General Methods - Antlerless | 2 | 1 | 127 |
| 389 | Lake Pillsbury Period 3 - General Methods - Antlerless | 2 | 1 | 74 |
Source: CDFW 2026 Big Game Drawing statistics. The rest of each quota goes by draw-by-choice. CDFW also prints applicants at each point level.
How many elk are taken in the Lake Pillsbury zone?
In 2022, CDFW's elk hunt statistics show 5 taken on 6 tags; 5 tag holders reported. CDFW notes that forest closures affected many elk hunts in 2020 and 2021. Year by year, for this zone's hunts:
| Year | Hunts | Tags | Applications | Tag holders who reported | Taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 6 | 1,290 | 5 | 5 |
| 2021 | 2 | 6 | 1,099 | 5 | 4 |
| 2020 | 1 | 2 | 1,077 | 2 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 6 | 1,111 | 6 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2 | 6 | 1,246 | 6 | 6 |
| 2017 | 2 | 6 | 1,143 | 6 | 6 |
Each hunt in 2022:
| Hunt code | Hunt | Applications | Tags | Taken | Success (CDFW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 331 | Lake Pillsbury Period 1 - Antlerless | 279 | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| 332 | Lake Pillsbury Period 2 - Bull | 1,011 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
Source: CDFW Elk Hunt Statistics (2017 to 2022); 2022: CDFW 2022 Elk Hunt Statistics. CDFW's success rate is reported harvest divided by tags. Applications are the sum of the applicant counts CDFW prints for each of this zone's hunts.
How much public land is in the Lake Pillsbury zone?
78.3% of the zone, 234,667 of 299,662 acres, is national forest, BLM or CDFW land. The largest public units: Mendocino National Forest (231,169 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the zone |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 231,169 | 77.1% |
| BLM | 3,498 | 1.2% |
| Other state or federal land | 550 | 0.2% |
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.
Which deer zones overlap the Lake Pillsbury zone?
Zone A (155,874 acres; 9,184 deer taken in 2025), Zone B1 (131,040 acres; 3,992 deer taken in 2025) and Zone B3 (12,747 acres; 1,222 deer taken in 2025).
How do you get to the Lake Pillsbury zone?
No numbered highway crosses it. Towns inside: Nice and Upper Lake. Nearby: Lakeport (7 miles), Ukiah (9 miles), Clearlake (14 miles) and Willits (15 miles).
Neighboring elk zones: Bear Valley elk zone, Cache Creek elk zone, East Park Reservoir elk zone and Mendocino elk zone.
Questions hunters ask
How many elk tags are there in the Lake Pillsbury zone?
CDFW's 2026 regulations list 12 tags in 5 hunts: Lake Pillsbury Period 1 General Methods Antlerless (4), Lake Pillsbury Period 2 General Methods Antlerless (2), Lake Pillsbury Period 3 General Methods Antlerless (2), Lake Pillsbury Period 4 General Methods Bull (2) and Lake Pillsbury Period 5 General Methods Bull (2). Tags are drawn in CDFW's big game drawing, apart from a few fundraising tags.
How many elk were taken in the Lake Pillsbury zone?
CDFW's 2022 elk hunt statistics show 5 taken on 6 tags across 2 hunts. In 2021: 4 on 6 tags.
When are the Lake Pillsbury elk hunts in 2026?
August 29 to September 4, September 5 to 11, September 12 to 18, September 26 to October 2 and October 3 to 9, by hunt, in CDFW's 2026 regulations.
How much public land is in the Lake Pillsbury zone?
78.3%: 234,667 acres of national forest, BLM and CDFW land by CPAD 2026a. The largest public units: Mendocino National Forest (231,169 acres).
CDFW's boundary of the Lake Pillsbury zone
In that portion of Lake County within a line beginning at the Glenn-Lake-Mendocino county line; south and west along the Mendocino-Lake county line to Highway 20; southeast on Highway 20 to the Bartlett Springs Road; north and east on Bartlett Springs Road to Forest Route M5; northwest on Forest Route M5 to the Colusa-Lake county line; northwest and east along the Colusa-Lake county line to the junction of the Glenn county line; north and west on along the Lake-Glenn County Line to the point of beginning.
From CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations, page 81, Title 14, Section 364.
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Where these numbers come from
- Hunt statistics: CDFW Elk Hunt Statistics, 2017 to 2022.
- 2026 hunts, tags and dates: CDFW 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations.
- Public land: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) 2026a. Zone boundary: CDFW elk hunt zones (BIOS ds786).
- 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 2 Bear Valley elk zone Cache Creek elk zone East Park Reservoir elk zone Mendocino elk zone