Zone D14, California

Per CDFW, terrain ranges from "hard and flat, to steep and rocky." The zone spans low elevations up to high country: the San Gorgonio Wilderness in the southeastern portion is a remote, rugged high-country area, and named features include North Fork Meadow, Ten Thousand Foot Ridge, and Charleton Peak. Snow at higher elevations can occur at any time during the season. (HuntScore separately characterizes public-land slope as generally steep.)

Zone D-14 spans the San Bernardino National Forest (managed across the Front Country, Mountaintop, and San Jacinto Ranger Districts) and BLM lands (Barstow and Palm Springs–South Coast Field Offices), with the majority of the roughly 1,600-square-mile zone being public land. The zone's outer frame is formed by Interstate 10 (south), Interstates 15/215 (west), State Highway 62 (east), and State Highways 18 and 247 (north); interior access is provided by Highways 138, 173, 30/330, and 38, with Highway 38 being the primary east-west spine through the mountains and the main corridor to the San Gorgonio Wilderness. From Highway 38, hunters can reach the Barton Flats area (Barton Flats Family Campground and the adjacent Barton Flats Visitor Center on Jenks Lake Road), and the Forest Falls corridor (Valley of the Falls Drive) leading to the Vivian Creek and Momyer Creek Trailheads into the San Gorgonio Wilderness. Other named wilderness entry points off Highway 38 include the Forsee Creek Trailhead (via Jenks Lake Road West), South Fork Trailhead (Jenks Lake Road, approximately 2.5 miles from Highway 38), and the Aspen Grove and Fish Creek Trailheads (reached via Forest Service Road 1N02 then 1N05; note that 1N05 has been subject to closure — confirm current status with the Front Country Ranger District or Mill Creek Visitor Center at 34701 Mill Creek Road, Mentone, before planning this route). The San Gorgonio Wilderness is entirely non-motorized: no motor vehicles are permitted, and a free wilderness permit (available in advance through the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association or in person at the Mill Creek Visitor Center, Barton Flats Visitor Center in summer, or Big Bear Discovery Center) is required for all day and overnight use; quotas apply, especially on summer weekends. A National Forest Adventure Pass is required to park at developed trailhead areas. In the northern part of the zone around Big Bear, Forest Service Road 3N09 (Van Dusen Canyon Road, seasonally) and 3N16 provide access to Holcomb Valley, with 2N09 (Polique Canyon Road) serving as an alternative when Van Dusen Canyon is closed. Forest Service Road 3N14 (Coxey Truck Trail) runs north from Fawnskin toward Holcomb Creek. Street-legal vehicles are required on virtually all USFS roads in the zone; green-sticker (non-highway-legal) OHV use is restricted to specifically designated and signed routes — check the current Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for the San Bernardino National Forest before traveling dirt roads. Some roads and campgrounds close seasonally (typically late fall through spring) due to snow and road conditions. Horses can improve access into the San Gorgonio Wilderness, but horse permits are required and can be obtained through the USFS at (909) 382-2600. Private land is interspersed throughout; the CDFW Private Lands Management (PLM) program may offer additional access on some ranches within the zone.

CDFW states vegetation is highly varied, ranging from chaparral and high desert scrub to pine forests and alpine meadows. Deer respond favorably to vegetation disturbance that enhances brush (wildfire, timber harvest); good cover types include riparian corridors, recently burned areas, brush re-sprouts, and acorn-producing oak stands. Lower deer densities occur in denser forest and older, decadent brushlands.

CDFW identifies the subspecies as California mule deer and classifies D-14 deer as resident (no long seasonal migrations); movement is up and down the slopes. Deer move to higher elevations in late spring and remain until the first heavy fall storms push them below snowline, a downward shift that often occurs during the hunting season. Herd status is described as stable to slightly declining and considerably below levels seen in the 1960s-70s, with a long-term declining trend attributed largely to fire suppression and reduced habitat quality/diversity.