Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14 § 554

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 25, June 21, 2024

Section 554 - Cooperative Deer Hunting Areas

To encourage the protection and enhancement of critical deer habitat, to provide added protection to landowners from depredations of trespassers and to provide greater access for the public to hunt on privately owned or controlled lands, the department may establish cooperative hunting areas and issue permits for the take of deer as specified subject to the following conditions:

(a) Definition and Scope. A cooperative deer hunting area is an area of private land located within critical deer habitat as determined by the department in deer quota zones (see Section 360) which require public drawings. The cooperative hunting area shall encompass not less than a total of 5,000 acres, except that such area may consist of neighboring lands not less than 640 acres in size under the control of one or more owners.

(b) Application Process. Application forms are available from the department's headquarters and regional offices. The applicant for a cooperative deer hunting area permit shall be an owner of said land. The completed application form and a completed one deer tag application for the appropriate deer zone shall be submitted to one of the following offices of the Department of Fish and Game:

Region 1, 601 Locust Street, Redding 96001 (530) 225-2300

Region 2, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova 95670 (916) 358-2900

Region 3, 7329 Silverado Trail, Box 47, Yountville 94599 (707) 944-5500

Region 4, 1234 East Shaw Avenue, Fresno 93710 (559) 243-4005

Region 5, 4949 View Ridge Avenue, San Diego 92123 (858) 467-4201

Region 6, 4775 Bird Farm Road, Chino Hills 91709 (909) 597-9823

The completed applications must be received prior to the first Friday in August. No individual may submit more than one cooperative deer hunting area application or deer tag application per deer season nor may there be more than two cooperative deer hunting area applicants for a given parcel of land. The department shall review the cooperative deer hunting application, verify the content thereof and certify that the lands consist of critical deer habitat prior to the issuance of a cooperative deer hunting area permit and deer tag.

Only those applications that are filled out completely will be accepted. Incomplete applications will be returned within 15 days of receipt by the department. There shall be no fee for a cooperative hunting area permit.

(c) A deer tag issued pursuant to the provisions of this section is valid only during the open deer season for the deer zone specified on the tag and may only be used on the lands specified in the landowner's application.

(d) All provisions of the Fish and Game Code relating to the take of birds and mammals shall be a condition of all permits and tags issued pursuant to this section.

(e) Any permit or tag issued pursuant to Section 554 may be cancelled or suspended at any time by the commission for cause after notice and opportunity to be heard, or without a hearing upon conviction of a violation of this regulation by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, § 554

1. New section filed 6-29-83 as an emergency; effective upon filing (Register 83, No. 27). A Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL within 120 days or emergency language will be repealed on 10-27-83. For prior history, see Register 81, No. 41.
2. Certificate of Compliance including amendments filed 9-30-83 (Register 83, No. 40).
3. Amendment of subsections (a) and (b) filed 8-9-84; effective upon filing pursuant to Government Code Section 11346.2(d) (Register 84, No. 32).
4. Editorial correction of subsection (b) filed 10-29-85; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 85, No. 44).
5. Amendment filed 7-17-87; operative 7-17-87 (Register 87, No. 29).
6. Amendment of subsection (b) filed 6-27-2000; operative 6-27-2000 pursuant to Fish and Game Code sections 202 and 205 (Register 2000, No. 26).

Note: Authority cited: Section 1572, Fish and Game Code. Reference: Sections 1570- 1572, Fish and Game Code.