California Antelope (Pronghorn) — Zone 5
Big Valley
California Zone 5 covers 1,145,642 acres and lies 166 miles north of Roseville. 54% of it is public land, mostly national forest (40%) and BLM (11%). In 2023, 20 people hunted pronghorn here and took 12 — 60% of them killed something. The 2025 draw put up 5 tags here for 758 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every pronghorn license type on offer in Zone 5, 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
-
2% Point builder
-
<1% Point builder
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 750 ↗ Zone 5 - Big Valley - General Methods - Buck Rifle | <1% Point builder | — | 5 / 758 | Aug 23–31, 2025 |
| 755 ↗ Zone 5 - Big Valley - Archery - Buck Archery | 2% Point builder | — | 1 / 63 | Aug 9–17, 2025 |
| 780 ↗ Zone 5 - Big Valley Apprentice - General Methods - Either - Sex Rifle | <1% Point builder | — | 1 / 102 | Aug 23–31, 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 | $841.54 |
Application window: opens Apr 15, closes Jun 2, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest 457,665 ac · 40%
- BLM 129,096 ac · 11%
- State land 25,270 ac · 2%
- County or city land 6,846 ac · 1%
- Other public 927 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 525,835 ac · 46%
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.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 20 | 12 | 60% |
| 2022 | 18 | 10 | 56% |
| 2021 | 19 | 13 | 68% |
Boundary: Pronghorn Hunt Zones [ds787]
Harvest: 2023 Pronghorn Harvest Statistics
Harvest: 2022 Pronghorn Harvest Statistics
Harvest: 2021 Pronghorn Harvest Statistics