Can You Hunt in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area? The Answer Might Surprise You.

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is a beautiful outdoor destination outside Redding that provides visitors with year-round waterfall hikes, on-water activities and gorgeous views. But did you know that you can also hunt within much of the park?

Yes, there are many areas that are open to hunting in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Hunters frequent the area looking for deer, bear, small game, waterfowl and upland game birds. You can also hunt for duck from a boat on Whiskeytown Lake, if the motor isn’t running and the boat isn’t moving.

Of course, there are plenty of places that are off-limits to hunting due to crowds and facilities in the area. Here is a map of everywhere you can hunt within the park:

Of course, Whiskeytown officials take poaching very seriously. To hunt at Whiskeytown you must possess a California hunting license and applicable tags and follow all hunting regulations for California.

Here are the different hunting seasons is Whiskeytown:

Deer: Archery season for deer usually begins on the third Saturday in August and ends on the second Sunday in September; rifle season is from the third Saturday in September to the last Sunday in October.

Bear: Archery season for bear usually begins on the third Saturday in August and ends on the second Sunday in September; rifle season is from the third Saturday in September to the last Sunday in October (concurrent with the deer seasons).

Small game (tree squirrels, rabbits, hares): Usually begins the second Saturday in September and ends on the last Sunday in January (archery, shotgun, or falconry)

Waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.): Generally sometime in October to end of January

Upland game birds (quail, turkey, doves, band-tailed pigeons): Seasons too numerous to mention; see the upland game regulations for California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

To learn everything you need to know about hunting in Whiskeytown, go here.