California Elk — Lake Pillsbury
Lake Pillsbury Tule Elk Hunt
California Lake Pillsbury covers 299,662 acres and lies 63 miles north of Santa Rosa and 87 miles north-west of Fairfield. 79% of it is public land, mostly national forest (77%) and BLM (1%). In 2022, 5 people hunted tule here and took 5 — 100% of them killed something. The 2025 draw put up 4 tags here for 107 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Lake Pillsbury, 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-
<1% Point builder
-
3% Point builder
-
1% Point builder
-
<1% Point builder
-
<1% Point builder
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 387 ↗ Lake Pillsbury Period 1 - General Methods - Antlerless | <1% Point builder | — | 4 / 107 | Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2025 |
| 388 ↗ Lake Pillsbury Period 2 - General Methods - Antlerless | 3% Point builder | — | 2 / 33 | Sep 6–12, 2025 |
| 389 ↗ Lake Pillsbury Period 3 - General Methods - Antlerless | 1% Point builder | — | 2 / 73 | Sep 13–19, 2025 |
| 390 ↗ Lake Pillsbury Period 4 - General Methods - Bull | <1% Point builder | — | 2 / 643 | Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2025 |
| 391 ↗ Lake Pillsbury Period 5 - General Methods - Bull | <1% Point builder | — | 2 / 386 | Oct 4–10, 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.
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 Lake Pillsbury
Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2025 draw.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest 231,105 ac · 77%
- BLM 3,500 ac · 1%
- Other public 662 ac · 0%
- State land 551 ac · 0%
- County or city land 3 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 63,838 ac · 21%
Source: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) 2026a -- Holdings by Agency Classification
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.
Tule
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5 | 5 | 100% |
All elk
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5 | 4 | 80% |
Boundary: Elk Hunt Zones [ds786]
Harvest: 2022 Elk Harvest Statistics
Harvest: 2021 Elk Harvest Success Rates