Deer Hunting on State Land in Central California Allowed for First Time in Decades

The season starts in September. Hunters who have a license and a deer tag are urged to apply, but only 11 permits will be granted.

A mule deer at Dos Rios State Park in the San Joaquin Valley. Brian Baer/California State Parks

A handful of hunters will be allowed to bag a deer in Central California this year, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced July 9.

Sections of the Los Baños and North Grasslands wildlife areas were opened for deer hunting for the first time since the department started regulating hunting in 1945 after the deer population in the area grew to a huntable number, according to the department’s spokeswoman Krysten Kellum.