California Elk — Independence

Independence - Owens Valley Tule Elk Hunt

California Independence covers 73,656 acres and lies 76 miles north-east of Visalia and 91 miles east of Fresno. 99% of it is public land, mostly county or city land (48%) and national forest (40%). In 2022, 5 people hunted tule here and took 3 — 60% of them killed something. The 2025 draw put up 1 tag here for 211 first-choice applicants.

Tags (2025):4 Nonresident share:capped at 1 Applicants:943 Tule success (2022):60% Public land:99% Size:73,656 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Independence, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.

Chances are from the 2025 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.

Simple view Odds at every point level

367 Independence Period 1 - Muzzleloader - Bull 1 tags · 211 applicants

<1% Point builder
368 Independence Period 2 - General Methods - Antlerless 1 tags · 94 applicants

1% Point builder
369 Independence Period 2 - General Methods - Bull 1 tags · 533 applicants

<1% Point builder
370 Independence Period 3 - General Methods - Antlerless 1 tags · 105 applicants

<1% Point builder

Hunt	Your odds (0 pts)	Points needed	Tags / applicants	Season
367 ↗ Independence Period 1 - Muzzleloader - Bull Muzzleloader	<1% Point builder	—	1 / 211	Sep 13–28, 2025
368 ↗ Independence Period 2 - General Methods - Antlerless Rifle	1% Point builder	—	1 / 94	Oct 4–12, 2025
369 ↗ Independence Period 2 - General Methods - Bull Rifle	<1% Point builder	—	1 / 533	Oct 4–12, 2025
370 ↗ Independence Period 3 - General Methods - Antlerless Rifle	<1% Point builder	—	1 / 105	Oct 18–26, 2025

What these columns mean

Your odds: the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2025 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
The badge: plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
Points needed: the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2025 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
Tags / applicants: tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.

2 hunts not offered in 2025 are hidden — show discontinued hunts.

What it costs to apply (2025 nonresident fees)

License	Up front	Gone if you miss	If you draw
Per application	$227.94	$227.94	$2,053.79

Application window: opens Apr 15, closes Jun 2, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.

Other licenses valid in Independence

Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2025 draw.

371 — Independence Period 3 - General Methods - Bull Standard 372 — INDEPENDENCE PERIOD 4 - GENERAL METHODS - ANTLERLESS Standard

The country

Independence within California

Independence and its neighbours

Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

County or city land 35,668 ac · 48%
National Forest 29,561 ac · 40%
BLM 7,551 ac · 10%
Private or other non-public land 874 ac · 1%

Source: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) 2026a -- Holdings by Agency Classification

Nearby areas

How the hunting has gone

What California Department of Fish and Wildlife publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. California Department of Fish and Wildlife publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season.