Zone B1, California

Per CDFW, Zone B-1 covers a very large geographic area where the terrain can be very steep and rugged and vegetation can be extremely dense. Habitats range from coastal scrub up to some alpine habitats, implying a broad elevation band from near sea level on the Pacific coast (the western boundary runs along the coastline from the California-Oregon line to the mouth of the Eel River) up into high mountains; deer move to higher elevations in late spring and drop below the snow line after the first heavy fall storms. Snowfall is rare; weather is usually hot and dry with early storms not uncommon. CDFW does not publish specific elevation figures in the zone sheet.

Zone B-1 is roughly 87% public land, administered across four National Forests and two BLM field offices, giving hunters extensive road and trailhead access across its sprawling seven-county footprint. **Primary Highways.** The main arteries into and around the zone are US-101 along the western coast, SR-96 (the Klamath River Highway, connecting Hoopa, Orleans, Happy Camp, and Yreka along the northeastern corridor), SR-199 in the north (Crescent City east to the Oregon border area), SR-299 east–west through the center (Arcata to Willow Creek and beyond), SR-36 in the south-central portion (Red Bluff west through Hayfork toward the coast), and SR-162 in the south (Willows to Covelo). Dozens of county roads, USFS roads, and BLM roads branch off these highways into the interior. **Public Land Managers.** The U.S. Forest Service manages the bulk of public land through four forests: Six Rivers National Forest (Gasquet, Orleans/Ukonom, Lower Trinity, and Mad River Ranger Districts), Klamath National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest (including the Hayfork/Yolla Bolla Ranger District area along SR-36), and Mendocino National Forest (Covelo Ranger District). The BLM Arcata Field Office manages over 200,000 acres in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties — including the King Range National Conservation Area — and the BLM Ukiah Field Office covers the southern portions of the zone in Lake and Mendocino counties. **Key Access Corridors and Trailheads.** SR-96 (Klamath River Highway) is the primary spine for the northeastern portion, with USFS and county roads fanning into the Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests. In the Six Rivers Orleans/Ukonom District (office at 1 Ishi Pishi Road, Orleans), named trailheads include Bluff Creek, Blue Lake, and Boundary Trail access points; the Siskiyou Wilderness (accessed via Youngs Valley, Doe Flat, and Buck Lake trailheads) is non-motorized. SR-299 enters Six Rivers National Forest west of Willow Creek, intersecting SR-96 at Willow Creek. In the south-central portion, SR-36 provides access to the Shasta-Trinity National Forest; Harrison Gulch Road (a paved county road) and Forest Road 30N44 branch south, and campgrounds at Basin Gulch, Deerlick Springs, and Forest Glen serve as staging areas. The Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness (non-motorized) is reached from SR-36 via Cannon Road (~23.5 miles of gravel to the national forest boundary) then Forest Road 27N06 to Tomhead Saddle, or from the west via SR-162 through Covelo to the Indian Dick Road corridor; named trailheads include Foster Glade, Georges Valley, Ides Cove, and Rock Cabin. The Mendocino National Forest's M1 road south of Covelo has experienced landslide damage in recent years — check current conditions with the Covelo Ranger District (707-983-6118) before using it. **Motor Vehicle Use and Seasonal Closures.** All four National Forests restrict motor vehicles to designated roads; hunters should obtain a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for each forest unit they plan to access. The Siskiyou Wilderness has seasonal road closures to prevent the spread of Port-Orford-cedar root disease. Snow typically closes higher-elevation forest roads in late fall and winter. Primitive dispersed camping is generally allowed on USFS and BLM lands outside designated campgrounds; fire permits are required during fire season. **Private Land.** Although approximately 13% of the zone is private, it occurs in patches throughout the unit. Written landowner permission is required to hunt private property; trespass laws are strictly enforced. No CDFW SHARE program is currently listed for this zone.

CDFW describes vegetation as highly varied throughout Zone B-1, ranging from coastal scrub, mixed and montane chaparral, oak-woodland, hardwood-conifer, and dense conifer forests to some alpine habitats. Deer respond favorably to vegetation disturbances that enhance brush species (wildfire and timber harvesting); riparian areas, recently burned areas, and re-sprouted clear cuts are good areas to hunt, and oak stands producing acorns also attract deer. Lower deer densities occur in densely forested areas and in older, more decadent brushlands.

The subspecies is Columbian black-tailed deer, generally considered resident deer per CDFW: movement is up and down the slopes rather than long seasonal migrations. Deer generally move to higher elevations in late spring, remaining there until the first heavy fall storms force them below the snow line; this downward movement often occurs during the hunting season, so hunters should plan to move lower after stormy weather. Herd status is considered stable, with some areas increasing and others decreasing; like most California herds the long-term trend has declined since the 1960s-70s due to fire suppression and reduced habitat quality, with short-term fluctuations tied to weather and forage. HuntScore lists the rut as starting as early as late October and running through late December (general black-tailed deer rut timing).