California Deer X12
Zone X12 General Season - Buck in Zone X12, any legal weapon, Sep 20 – Oct 13, 2025. 87% public land, mostly National Forest.
Your odds at 0 points · 2025 draw
about 1 in 109
Years to draw on points: —
- Tags
- 349
- Applicants
- 4,023
- Success
- 59%
First-choice nonresidents. Success: all hunters in Zone X12, 2025.
Points Needed to Draw
No cut was published in enough years to chart one.
Insufficient history (0 of 3 draws) — a creep trend needs at least three draw years with a published drew-out level.
What It Costs · 2025 NR Fees
Closes Jun 2 · 227 daysThe $219.81 nonresident hunting license is not refunded. The $368.20 nonresident First-Deer Tag Drawing Application (full tag price fronted at application) is not refunded.
- Opens
- Apr 15, 2027
- Closes
- Jun 2, 2027
- Results
- about Jun 15
Next application window: Open Apr 15 – Jun 2, 2027 (expected). Dates are last cycle's, rolled forward until California Department of Fish and Wildlife publishes 2027.
▸ Every Fee, With Sources
- Nonresident hunting license · paid at application $219.81 CDFW 2025 Big Game Hunting Digest
- Nonresident First-Deer Tag Drawing Application (full tag price fronted at application) · paid at application $368.20 CDFW 2025 Big Game Hunting Digest
Details
Odds by Point Level · 2025 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 ← you | <1% plus 54 party applications averaging under 1 point | 588 | — |
| 1 | <1% plus 95 party applications averaging 1 point or fewer | 413 | — |
| 2 | <1% plus 112 party applications averaging 2 points or fewer | 345 | — |
| 3 | <1% plus 148 party applications averaging 3 points or fewer | 325 | — |
| 4 | <1% plus 85 party applications averaging 4 points or fewer | 294 | — |
| 5 | <1% plus 61 party applications averaging 5 points or fewer | 287 | — |
| 6 | <1% plus 119 party applications averaging 6 points or fewer | 241 | — |
| 7 | <1% plus 100 party applications averaging 7 points or fewer | 218 | — |
| 8 | 4% plus 94 party applications averaging 8 points or fewer | 231 | — |
| 9 | 100% plus 13 party applications averaging 9 points or fewer | 140 | — |
| 10 | 100% plus 3 party applications averaging 10 points or fewer | 27 | — |
| 11 | 100% plus 2 party applications averaging 11 points or fewer | 9 | — |
| 12 | 100% | 5 | — |
| 13 | 100% plus 4 party applications averaging 13 points or fewer | 6 | — |
| 14 | 100% | 1 | — |
| 15 | 100% | 0 | — |
| 16 | 100% | 1 | — |
| 17 | 100% | 0 | — |
| 18 | 100% | 0 | — |
| 19 | 100% | 0 | — |
| 20 | 100% | 1 | — |
| 21 | 100% | 0 | — |
| 22–23 | 100% same at every level | 1 | — |
Points pass + random pass, from published pools. A dash means California Department of Fish and Wildlife did not publish a count for that level: it prints exact counts around the cut and folds the rest into a band. California runs a second, random pass after the points pass. As a lower choice, X12 drew no one in 2025, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: CDFW 2025 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1, retrieved Sep 1, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of Zone X12 | — | 193 | — |
Across every license type in Zone X12, California Department of Fish and Wildlife counted 193 deer taken in 2025 (hunter counts not published). Post-season survey, not draw statistics. Source: CDFW 2025 Deer Harvest Statistics; CDFW 2024 Deer Harvest Statistics.
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 9 draws
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year. California runs a second, random pass after the points pass; it is shown beside the year it belongs to.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Points Needed | Random Pass | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 349 | 4,023 | 11.5 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2025 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 |
| 2024 | 349 | 4,481 | 12.8 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2024 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 |
| 2023 | 349 | 4,644 | 13.3 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2023 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 2 |
| 2022 | 349 | 4,796 | 13.7 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2022 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 2 |
| 2021 | 349 | 5,101 | 14.6 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2021 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 2 |
| 2020 | 349 | 4,995 | 14.3 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2020 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 2 |
| 2019 | 349 | 4,352 | 12.5 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2019 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 |
| 2018 | 349 | 4,391 | 12.6 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2018 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 |
| 2017 | 349 | 4,888 | 14 | — | 34 tags | CDFW 2017 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 |
Other Licenses Valid in Zone X12
- A20 Archery Hunt In Zone X12 - Buck Aug 16 – Sep 7 · 40 tags · 237 applied 2%
Odds at your points, nonresident. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Legal Cartridges 23 on file for California deer
23 cartridges on file are legal for deer with a rifle in California (this license takes any legal weapon). Rules and sources: California hunting laws.
▸ Sources 18
- CDFW 2025 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 · draw results, seasons, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2024 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2023 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 2 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2022 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 2 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2021 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 2 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2020 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 2 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2019 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2018 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2017 Deer Tag Drawing Statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2026 Big Game Hunting Digest draw rules, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2025 Big Game Hunting Digest fees, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2025 Deer Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2024 Deer Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2023 Deer Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2022 Deer Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2021 Deer Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CDFW 2014 Deer Hunt Zones boundary, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- GreenInfo Network 2026 Protected Areas Database a land ownership, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2025 draw, the latest on file, computed from California Department of Fish and Wildlife's published results (points pass + random pass, from published pools). They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
Report an error on this page
We don't take applications: check California Department of Fish and Wildlife's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from California Department of Fish and Wildlife's results, not a forecast · Methodology · All California deer hunts