Zone X4, California

Per CDFW, Zone X-4 covers a large geographic area and the terrain "can be very steep and rugged," with vegetation that can be extremely dense. Named hunting landmarks span a range of features and rim country, including Hat Creek Rim (Upper and Lower), Butte Creek Rim, Crater Lake, Eagle Lake, Antelope Peak, Harvey Mountain, Ladder Butte, Coble Mountain, and Bald Mountain. The zone boundary runs from Old Station (Hwy 89/44 junction) north on Hwy 89 to the Pit River at Lake Britton, then east and south along the Pit River, southeast and southwest via Horse Creek and the Burlington Northern Railroad to Little Valley Road, east to Hwy 139, south on Hwy 139, then southwest to Hwy 36 and back north and west along Hwy 44 to the start. (CDFW does not publish specific elevation figures in the zone sheet.)

Zone X4 is bounded by three state highways that also serve as the primary access corridors: Highway 139 on the east (running north from the zone's southeast corner toward Eagle Lake and Susanville), Highway 44 on the southwest (connecting Old Station / the Hwy 44–89 junction westward toward Redding), and Highway 299 on the northwest (passing through Burney and Fall River Mills). From these highways, numerous county roads, USFS roads, and BLM roads branch into public land — most are unpaved and may require high-clearance vehicles; the CDFW zone sheet notes that heavy rain can make many secondary roads "very difficult, if not impossible, to travel." Public land is managed by three agencies: the Lassen National Forest (Hat Creek Ranger District, headquartered at 43225 E. Hwy. 299 in Fall River Mills, and Eagle Lake Ranger District, headquartered near Susanville) covers much of the forest interior; the Shasta-Trinity National Forest covers the western edge near the Pit River corridor; and the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office (2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville) administers approximately one million acres in the region including areas near Eagle Lake and along Highway 139. Campgrounds that serve as staging areas include the USFS Hat Creek Campground (1.5 mi south of Old Station on Hwy 44/89), Cave Campground (0.25 mi north of Old Station), and Big Pine Campground (approx. 4.8 mi south of Old Station off Hwy 44/89) — all in the Hat Creek corridor; as well as the USFS Eagle Lake campgrounds (Christie, Merrill, Aspen, Eagle) reached via County Road A-1 off Hwy 36 west of Susanville, and BLM's North Eagle Lake, Rocky Point East, and Rocky Point West campgrounds on Hwy 139 north of Susanville. The Thousand Lakes Wilderness (16,526 acres, midway between Burney and Lassen Volcanic National Park) is non-motorized; trailheads including Bunchgrass, Cypress, Magee, and Tamarack provide foot/stock entry only. Private timber holdings — primarily Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI), which owns more than 2.4 million acres statewide — are open to licensed hunters on foot without written permission, but motorized access beyond locked gates, overnight camping, and campfires on SPI land are prohibited; check spi-ind.com or call 530-378-8274 for current closure status. Additional access may be available through CDFW's Private Lands Management (PLM) program.

CDFW describes vegetation as highly varied, ranging from low sage, sagebrush, bitterbrush, montane chaparral, aspen, and juniper to hardwood-conifer habitats. Deer respond favorably to vegetation disturbances that enhance brush (wildfire and timber harvesting). Riparian corridors, recently burned areas, and re-sprouted clearcuts produce good brushy forage; oak stands producing acorns also attract deer. Lower deer densities occur in dense forest and older, decadent brushlands. Best feeding areas are near bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, and tall sagebrush.

Deer in Zone X-4 are considered migratory (CDFW). They move to higher elevations in the southern half of the zone in late spring and remain there until the first heavy fall storms push them downslope in a northwesterly direction below the snowline; this downward movement often occurs during hunting season. The herd is described by CDFW as stable to slightly declining and considerably below levels seen in the late 1960s-1970s, consistent with a long-term steady decline since the 1960s-70s attributed to fire suppression and reduced habitat quality/diversity; short-term swings track weather-driven forage. General mule/black-tailed deer rut peaks in November; some secondary sources (publiclands.org/HuntScore) place breeding from late October through late December (low confidence, not confirmed by CDFW).