DEER SEASON OPENS IN CALIFORNIA ON SEPT. 17

Hunters urged to be fire-safe; lead ammo now illegal in state forests

East County News Service

September 12, 2016 (Sacramento) – If you’re hiking in California forests, you may want to wear bright colors to make sure you can easily be seen.  Deer hunting season opens Saturday, Sept. 17 in most zones in the state.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reminds hunters to pay close attention to the occurrence of wild fires in their favorite hunting spots. Current information on forest closures can be found at www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/area-alerts.

Hunters are reminded that as of July 1, 2015, non-lead ammunition  is required when hunting on state wildlife areas and ecological reserves . Lead ammunition may still be used to hunt deer on Bureau of Land Management (BLM), national forest and private lands until July 1, 2019.

Deer tags are still available for many of the state's most popular zones. Hunting licenses and tags can be purchased online, at one of CDFW's license sales offices  or through a  license sales agent.

For more information on deer hunting zones and seasons, see the 2016 Big Game Hunting Digest. Specific zone maps and information are also available online.

Every purchaser of a deer tag must report their harvest, even if they were unsuccessful. For successful hunters, the report must be made within 30 days of harvesting a deer or by Jan. 31, whichever date is first. Unsuccessful hunters, and those who purchased a tag but did not hunt, must report by Jan. 31. Harvest reports may be submitted online or by U.S. mail to CDFW Wildlife Branch, P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94299-0002.

Tag holders who fail to report will be charged a non-reporting fee of $21.60, which will be added to license purchases beginning with the 2017-2018 season.

The sale of hunting licenses and tags provides approximately $25 million every year to CDFW to fund research and management of California's wildlife, including the enforcement of fish and wildlife laws, crucial habitat conservation, post-wildfire forest restoration and wildlife migration and population studies.