Chapter 8. Wildlife and Public Shooting Areas

Chapter 8. Wildlife and Public Shooting Areas

§554. Cooperative Deer Hunting Areas.

To encourage the protection and enhancement of critical deer habitat, to provide added protection to landowners from depredations of trespassers and to provide greater access for the public to hunt on privately owned or controlled lands, the department may establish cooperative hunting areas and issue permits for the take of deer as specified subject to the following conditions:

• (a) Definition and Scope. A cooperative deer hunting area is an area of private land located within critical deer habitat as determined by the department in deer quota zones (see Section 360) which require public drawings. The cooperative hunting area shall encompass not less than a total of 5,000 acres, except that such area may consist of neighboring lands not less than 640 acres in size under the control of one or more owners.
• (b) Application Process.
  Applications designated on a form issued by the department are available from the department's website at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Deer, headquarters, and regional offices:
  
  • Region 1, 601 Locust Street, Redding 96001 (530) 225-2300
  • Region 2, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova 95670 (916) 358-2900
  • Region 3, 2825 Cordelia Rd., Suite 100, Fairfield 94594 (707) 428-2002
  • Region 4, 1234 East Shaw Avenue, Fresno 93710 (559) 243-4005
  • Region 5, 3883 Ruffin Rd., San Diego 92123 (858) 467-4201
  • Region 6, 3602 Inland Empire Blvd., Ste. C-220, Ontario 91764 (909) 484-0167
  • (1) Definitions.
    
    • (A) ‘Immediate family’ is defined as ‘the spouse of such person, any child or stepchild of such person or of the spouse of such person, any spouse of any such child or stepchild, any grandchild or step-grandchild of such person or of the spouse of such person, any spouse of such grandchild or step-grandchild, any sibling of such person sharing ownership in the property, and any spouse of any such sibling.’ Immediate family need not live in the household or reside on the property to qualify.
  • (2) Eligibility Requirements.
    
    • (A) A person (as defined by Fish and Game Code Section 67) owning at least 640 acres within a cooperative deer hunting area shall be eligible to apply for a cooperative deer hunting area permit. Applicants shall designate up to two individuals eligible to receive deer tags by the date below, except for applicants in zones X-3a, X-5a, and X-5b (defined in Section 360(b), Title 14, CCR); applicants may apply for one deer tag in those zones. Such individuals shall be at least 12 years of age, possess a valid California hunting license, and be either the landowner or immediate family of the landowner. Individuals shall not be eligible for a cooperative deer hunting tag if they hold a deer tag in the same license year for a premium or restricted hunt as defined in 708.1 of these regulations.
    • (B) No individual may submit more than one cooperative deer hunting area application per deer season nor may there be more than two cooperative deer hunting area applicants for a given parcel of land.
  • (3) Application Materials.
    The following application materials must be submitted to the department's regional office nearest the proposed cooperative deer hunting area and must be received prior to the first Friday in August.
    
    • (A) Completed application form pursuant to subsection (b)(4)
    • (B) Applicable fees for first deer tag resident, second deer tag resident, or non-resident, or previous year's Unsuccessful Deer Tag Letter per applicant, pursuant to subsection 702(c) of these regulations.
    • (C) Proof of property ownership (copy of deed)
    • (D) Proof of property size (property map)
  • (4) Application Form, Form DFW 1409 (Rev. 10/23), hereby incorporated by reference. Application forms are available pursuant to subsection (b).
    
    • (A) For both First and Second Applicant:
      Applicant's name, relationship to owner, mailing address, home phone number, day phone number, driver's license number, GO ID number, printed name, signature, and acknowledgement of compliance with provisions.
    • (B) Deer hunting zone in which qualifying lands are located.
  • (5) Review and Approval.
    The department shall review the cooperative deer hunting application, verify the content thereof, and certify that the lands consist of critical deer habitat prior to the issuance of a cooperative deer hunting area permit and deer tag. Only those applications that are filled out completely will be accepted. There shall be no fee for a cooperative hunting area permit.
• (c) A deer tag issued pursuant to the provisions of this section is valid only during the open deer season for the deer specified in subsections 360(a) and 360(b) and may only be used on the lands specified in the landowner's application.
• (d) All provisions of the Fish and Game Code relating to the take of birds and mammals shall be a condition of all permits and tags issued pursuant to this section.
• (e) Any permit or tag issued pursuant to Section 554 may be cancelled or suspended at any time by the commission for cause after notice and opportunity to be heard, or without a hearing upon conviction of a violation of this regulation by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Amendment filed 7/1/2024; effective 7/1/2024

§555. Cooperative Elk Hunting Areas.

To encourage protection and enhancement of elk habitat and provide eligible landowners an opportunity for limited elk hunting on their lands, the department may establish cooperative elk hunting areas and issue license tags to allow the take of elk as specified in Section 364, and subject to the following conditions:

• (a) Definition and Scope. A cooperative elk hunting area is an area of private land located within the boundary of an area open to public elk hunting. The cooperative hunting area shall encompass not less than a total of 5,000 acres, except that such area may consist of neighboring lands not less than 640 acres in size under the control of one or more owners. Within an area open to public elk hunting, the number of cooperative elk hunting license tags issued shall not exceed 20 percent of the number of general methods public license tags for the corresponding public hunt and shall be of the same designation (i.e., antlerless, spike bull, bull or either-sex) as the public license tags. Public license tags shall equate to the sum of the general methods elk license tags under Section 364 and the Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) elk license tags under Section 364.1 for the corresponding hunt and for the same designation issued annually.
• (b) Application Process.
  Applications, designated on a form issued by the department, are available from the department's headquarters and regional offices:
  
  • Region 1, 601 Locust Street, Redding 96001 (530) 225-2300
  • Region 2, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova 95670 (916) 358-2900
  • Region 3, 2825 Cordelia Rd., Suite 100, Fairfield 94594 (707) 428-2002
  • Region 4, 1234 East Shaw Avenue, Fresno 93710 (559) 243-4005
  • Region 5, 3883 Ruffin Rd., San Diego 92123 (858) 467-4201
  • Region 6, 3602 Inland Empire Blvd., Ste. C-220, Ontario 91764 (909) 484-0167
  • (1) Eligibility Requirements.
    A person (as defined by Fish and Game Code Section 67) owning at least 640 acres within a cooperative elk hunting area shall be eligible to apply for a cooperative elk hunting area permit. The applicant for a cooperative elk hunting area permit shall be an owner of said land and they shall designate one individual eligible to receive one elk license tag by the date indicated under subsection (5) below. Such individuals shall be at least 12 years of age and possess a valid California hunting license. A person may annually submit a cooperative elk hunting area application where they own sufficient habitat as described in subsection (a) above, for each public hunt area in which their property occurs.
  • (2) Application Materials.
    The following application materials must be submitted to the department's regional office nearest the proposed cooperative elk hunting area by the first business day following July 1.
    
    • (A) Completed application form pursuant to subsection (b)(3)
    • (B) Applicable fees for resident or non-resident elk tags, pursuant to Fish and Game Code Section 332, subdivision (c) and adjusted annually pursuant to Fish and Game Code Section 713.
    • (C) Proof of property ownership (copy of deed)
    • (D) Proof of property size (property map)
  • (3) Application Form, Form DFW 1449 (Rev. 10/23), hereby incorporated by reference. Application forms are available pursuant to subsection (b).
    
    • (A) Applicant: applicant's name, title (if applicable), mailing address, business name (if applicable), driver's license number, telephone number, applicant signature, and acknowledgement of compliance with provisions.
    • (B) Property: location of qualifying lands (county, section, township, and range), and name of elk zone where qualifying land is located.
    • (C) First through third preference tag: bull, antlerless, or either-sex, and hunt code.
  • (4) Review and Approval
    Only those applications that are filled out completely will be accepted. The department shall review the cooperative elk hunting application, verify the content thereof, and certify that the lands consist of important elk habitat prior to the issuance of a cooperative elk hunting permit and elk tag. If the number of accepted applications exceeds the license tags available, the department will determine successful applicants and a list of alternates by conducting a random drawing from the pool of qualified applicants as soon as possible after the application deadline. For any license year that the demand for cooperative elk hunting license tags within an area open to public hunting (as identified in 364) exceeds the number of tags available, tags will be first issued to applicants that did not receive a tag the previous year. If the quota is not filled, tags will be issued to the remaining applicants by random drawing. Successful applicants will be notified by the department as soon as possible after the application deadline.
  • (5) Designated Recipients. Applicants shall submit the name, address, and valid California hunting license number of designated elk license tag recipients and payment of elk license tag fees by check, money order, or credit card authorization in the amount specified by subsection 702(c)(1) to the department's regional office nearest the proposed cooperative elk hunting area, by the first business day following August 1.
• (c) An elk license tag issued pursuant to the provisions of this section is valid only during the general elk season in which the cooperative elk hunting area occurs and shall only be used on land specified in the landowner's application. License tags are not transferable.
• (d) All provisions of the Fish and Game Code and Title 14, CCR, relating to the take of birds and mammals shall be conditions of all license tags issued pursuant to this section.
• (e) Any permit issued pursuant to Section 555 may be canceled or suspended at any time by the commission for cause after notice and opportunity to be heard, or without a hearing upon conviction of a violation of this regulation by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Amendment filed 7/1/2024; effective 7/1/2024.

§555.1. Conflict Zone Cooperative Elk Hunting Areas.

• (a) (a) Definition and Scope. A conflict zone cooperative elk hunting area is an area of private land located within the boundary of an area open to public elk hunting as identified in subsections 364(a)(2)(A), 364(b)(2)(A), and 364(c)(1)(A), in which landowners experience chronic, elevated levels of human-elk conflict. The conflict zone cooperative elk hunting area shall be contiguous parcels of at least 60 acres in size.
• (b) Within the conflict zones open to public elk hunting, the number of conflict zone cooperative elk hunting license general methods antlerless tags issued shall be up to 100 percent of the number of public license general methods antlerless tags issued annually for the corresponding public hunt (i.e., a 1 to 1 public license antlerless tag to landowner antlerless tag ratio). The corresponding public hunt is comprised of the annual sum of general methods license tags issued across sections 364 and 364.1. Within a conflict zone cooperative elk hunting area, the remaining tag designations (i.e., spike bull, bull, or either-sex) shall be issued consistent with subsection 555(a). Any elk zones described in Section 364 excluded from this subsection shall conform to all criteria described in Section 555.
• (c) An elk license tag issued pursuant to the provisions of this subsection is valid commensurate with the first day of the general methods elk season in which the conflict zone cooperative elk hunting area occurs, as described under Section 364, through November 30 annually. All provisions described under Section 555, including 555(b) shall apply to this subsection.

New section filed 7/1/2024; effective 7/1/2024.