Weekly intel for the Northern California hunter · 100% free · Every Tuesday
NORCALHUNT
The year

A hunting calendar for NorCal

What the desk is thinking about each month. Open dates still live on the Board and at CDFW — this is the rhythm, not the regulation.

July

License year and scouting

  • New California hunting licenses start July 1. Do not scout or pig hunt on last year's card.
  • Glass water for fall deer. Take notes you can read in September, not a camera roll of identical ridges.
August

Archery deer and dove prep

  • Bow season is hot and quiet. Confirm the zone on the tag before you drive.
  • Pattern dove loads, buy the vest you will actually wear, and scout flight lines the week before opener.
September

Dove and early rifle

  • Dove early split is the social opener. Cool birds in the field.
  • A-zone rifle is the timber hunt. Midweek if you can. Read fire restrictions the night before, not at the gate.
October

Deer windows and first birds

  • General seasons stack. Know which tag is in your pocket that morning.
  • Early waterfowl prep: decoys out of the barn, dog on water, non-lead shot you have already shot.
November

Waterfowl gets serious

  • Refuge draws and rice hunts. Watch the reservation window.
  • Deer tags that are still open are a second job. Do not mix the kits in one pile and hope.
December

Marsh weather

  • Storms move birds. Bluebird weekends are for working on the truck.
  • Keep a dry layer in the truck that is actually dry. December punishes the vest you left wet.
January

Late birds and leftover tags

  • Late-season geese and the ducks that stayed. Ice on the water is a good sign and a cold dog.
  • Leftover deer tags, if they are offered, disappear. Refresh the CDFW list. Do not trust a screenshot.
February

Last splits and the freezer

  • Know the close. A season that ended yesterday is a ticket, not a story.
  • This is when the vacuum sealer earns its keep. Label the cut and the year.
March

Spring turkey starts to matter

  • Scout roosts without educating every bird on the ridge.
  • Service the gun you ignored since January. Spring is not the time to discover a broken firing pin.
April

Turkey

  • Call less than you want to. Sit longer than feels reasonable.
  • Private land still needs permission. A gobble on the other side of a fence is not your bird.
May

Late spring and pigs

  • Turkey seasons wind down on their own calendar. Read the close.
  • Pigs are still a hunt. Heat is back. Ice in the truck before you leave, not after the shot.
June

Fix it before July

  • Boots, optics, and the pack hip belt. Buy the thing that failed last fall while you still remember why.
  • Put in for tags with a plan, not a hope. Know the zone you are actually willing to drive to.

Dates and rules on NorCalHunt are the desk's briefing notes. Confirm every season, tag, and refuge rule with CDFW before you leave the driveway.