Zone C4, California

CDFW describes Zone C-4 as covering a very large geographic area where the terrain can be very steep and rugged and vegetation can be extremely dense. Weather is usually quite hot and dry, but early storms are not uncommon; snowfall is a rare occurrence with these storms, while heavy rains can make many roads very difficult or impossible to travel. GoHunt lists the zone's elevations spanning roughly 150 to 10,400 feet (low confidence; not CDFW-sourced). CDFW notes that in oak/shrub woodland habitat most successful hunters harvest deer at or below 4,000 feet elevation.

Zone C-4 spans Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, and Tehama counties and is served by an extensive public-land road network. The main highway framework is Interstate 5 and Highway 99E (western edge), Highway 36 (crosses the zone east from Red Bluff through Paynes Creek to Chester), Highway 32 (central corridor through the forests from Chico to Chester), Highway 44 (northern corridor, Red Bluff to Susanville), Highway 162 (southern edge), Highway 70 (Feather River Scenic Byway through the Plumas NF, Oroville to Quincy), and Highway 89 (northeastern corridor linking Chester and Greenville). County, USFS, and BLM roads branch off these highways into public lands managed by the Lassen National Forest (Almanor, Hat Creek, and Eagle Lake ranger districts) and the Plumas National Forest, plus BLM parcels covered by the Redding and Susanville field offices; CDFW recommends the Burney, Chico, Lake Almanor, Red Bluff, Susanville, and Willows BLM surface-management maps to cover the full zone. The roughly 45,000-acre Tehama Wildlife Area is reached by taking Highway 36 northeast from Red Bluff approximately 20 miles to Paynes Creek, then turning right onto Plum Creek Road; the wildlife area gate is about 3 miles ahead (no entry permit required for deer hunting in Zone C-4 outside the special G-1 draw). Within the Lassen NF, the Ishi Wilderness (Almanor Ranger District) is accessible via Ponderosa Way (Forest Road 28N29) — a high-clearance 4WD dirt road — to trailheads at Deer Creek (off Highway 32 at the Red Bridge) and Black Rock Campground (currently closed by Forest Order due to Park Fire hazard); vehicles and mechanized equipment are prohibited once inside the Wilderness boundary. The Plumas NF's Bucks Lake Wilderness (roughly 21,000 acres) is accessed off the Oroville–Bucks Lake Road, with the Pacific Crest Trail crossing the forest and offering non-motorized backcountry entry. Many forest roads in the upper elevations are subject to seasonal snow closure in fall and winter, and summer thunderstorms can make unimproved roads impassable; USFS Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) for Lassen (maps 3b, 4b and others) and the Plumas NF are the authoritative source for which roads are legally open to motor vehicles. The majority of private land in the zone is not open without written permission from the landowner; CDFW notes that trespass laws are strictly enforced, and hunters seeking additional private-land access may apply through the statewide SHARE Hunting Program (wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/share) for permitted access on enrolled parcels.

Per CDFW, vegetation is highly varied throughout Zone C-4, ranging from oak-woodland, mixed and montane chaparral, sagebrush and bitterbrush, aspen, juniper, hardwood-conifer and dense conifer to alpine/subalpine habitats. Deer respond favorably to vegetation disturbances (wildfire and timber harvesting) that enhance brush; stands of buckbrush, deerbrush, and bitter cherry are noted as good areas, as are riparian areas, recently burned areas, and clear cuts that have re-sprouted with brush. Areas where oaks produce acorns may also attract deer. Lower deer densities are typically found in more densely forested areas and in older, decadent brushlands.

CDFW states deer in Zone C-4 are a mix of resident and migratory animals. They generally move to higher elevations in late spring and remain until the first heavy fall storms force them down below the snow line; this downward movement often occurs during the hunting season, so hunters should be prepared to move to lower areas later in the season after stormy weather. A portion of the migration (east to west) occurs before and during the archery season, possibly initiated by forage conditions. Later in the season deer migrate into Tehama and Butte counties. CDFW describes the population as stable to declining and considerably below levels seen in the late 1960s and 1970s, with a steady long-term decline attributed to land management practices that have precluded fire and reduced habitat quality; short-term fluctuations are usually attributed to weather affecting forage. HuntScore lists the rut running from late October through late December (low confidence; not CDFW-sourced).