As of mid-October, more than 8,100 different wildfires burned approximately 2.5 million acres of land in California. In addition to closing national forests and other landscapes as well as triggering evacuations, it kept some hunters from carrying out plans to try to fill their tags.
The California Fish and Game recently voted unanimously to authorize publication of its intent to allow the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to consider a number of actions. Among them are the reinstatement of preference points and award one preference point for the license year for certain deer tags and to refund tag fees, reinstate preference points and award one preference point for the license year for bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope and elk hunts after the season start date for first-choice draw hunts that are inaccessible for 66 percent or more of the season as a result of public land closures caused by wildfires for unsuccessful hunters.
California hunters dealt with similar issues in previous years.
(Photo source: California Department of Fish and Wildlife)