Six Rivers National Forest

Hunting

Blacktail Deer Hunting on the Six Rivers National Forest

If you're visiting the Six Rivers National Forest during the fall season, you're likely to see quite a bit of high visibility orange intermixed within the native vegetation. The orange is not typical of the many colors found during the fall season on the Forest, but reflects the clothing of hunters in pursuit of the blacktail deer. The Forest provides opportunities for deer hunting on approximately one million acres and is delineated into two hunt zones designated by California Department of Fish and Game. The deer hunting zones specific to the Forest include B1 and B2 within Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity Counties. In general, the B Zones are popular with deer hunters due to the abundant quantity of deer, the availability of tags and the longer hunting season. Unlike the X Zones within the eastern portion of the state, B Zone tags can basically be purchased over the counter and do not require submission to a drawing process. In comparing deer hunting success across the state, the overall statewide hunter success rate in 2002 was only 17 percent, where the B1 and B2 hunt zones yielded 23 percent. The B zones often are excluded when discussion of trophy class blacktail deer occurs around the coffee table, but the official records consistently rank Humboldt and Trinity counties very high in comparison to counties in Oregon and Washington.

The most popular deer hunting areas on the Forest occur on the Mad River Ranger District and the southern portion of the Lower Trinity Ranger District. The main reason for their popularity is simply the landscape; the terrain contains a higher percentage of open ground that provides an increased level of visibility to hunters in search of their quarry. However, if you are seeking solitude or just want to get away from the crowds, the Orleans Ranger District and Smith River National Recreation Area provides an enormous amount of undiscovered hunting opportunities. A trip by foot or by pack animal to the Siskiyou, Trinity Alps or the Marble Mountains Wilderness Areas can literally be an adventure of a lifetime and one that you will soon make year after year.

In your hunting travels to the higher elevations on the forest in the fall, you may hear the shrill bugle of a Roosevelt elk. Once a common inhabitant of northwestern California prior to the Gold Rush Era, this species of elk has made a remarkable comeback within the last 25 years. This species was almost extirpated from existence in northwestern California, with the one exception being the herd in Prairie Creek State Park near Orick.

California is home to three species of elk, Rocky Mountain, Tule and the Roosevelt. The Roosevelt is the largest of the three species and a mature bull can often exceed 1200 pounds. Since the 1980's, the Forest Service, private landowners and timber companies in concert with the California Department of Fish and Game have worked cooperatively in reintroducing the species back within its native environment. In fact, most of the populations have been so successful, that California Department of Fish and Game has authorized hunting for the majority of the established herds. However, the tags are extremely limited and are coveted by successful applicants in the drawing process.

If you are indeed one of the fortunate recipients of an elk tag or just seeking the "secret hotspot" for deer hunting, please feel free to visit us for your informational needs at the District Ranger or Supervisor's Office.


[Printer] Printable Version
 
 
 
 
USDA logo which links to the department's national site. Forest Service logo which links to the agency's national site.