#1 · Critical
FGC 2026–27 Waterfowl Regulations
Comments close April 10, 2026
CA Fish & Game Commission / CDFW · Statewide · 5 hunting zones · Ducks & Geese
The Fish and Game Commission will finalize 2026–27 waterfowl regulations at its April 15–16 meeting. Written comments must reach the Commission by noon on April 10 — three days from today. Proposed changes include modifying the regular goose season to 100 days in the Southern San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, and Balance of State zones; increasing the Large Canada goose daily bag limit to 3 in the Northeastern California Zone and Klamath Basin; and adjusting youth/veteran hunt timing so youth hunters receive a five-day rest period before their weekend. Duck season frameworks allow a liberal 107-day season with a 7-bird daily limit.
🌐 Why it matters
These regulations set the legal framework for every duck and goose hunt in California for the 2026–27 season. Bag limit increases, zone modifications, and season timing changes directly affect hunting opportunity across five geographic zones statewide. This is the last opportunity to influence the outcome before the Commission votes on April 15.
📊 Ranking scores
1. Active windowHIGHWritten comment deadline is April 10 at noon — 3 days from today. Final vote April 15–16.
2. Hunter / anglerHIGHDirectly sets bag limits, season lengths, and zone structures for all California waterfowl hunters.
3. ScaleHIGHFive geographic zones statewide; affects every duck and goose hunter in California.
4. IrreversibilityLOWAnnual regulatory cycle; reviewed and reset each season.
5. CA specificityHIGHCalifornia state regulation adopted within federal flyway frameworks — CA-only effect.
6. UrgencyHIGHApril 10 noon deadline is the soonest hard cutoff of all six items on this tracker.
Submit Comment to FGC ↗
View Proposed Regulation ↗
April 15–16 Meeting Info ↗
Example: "I am writing regarding the proposed 2026–27 waterfowl regulations. As a duck hunter in [region], I [support/oppose] the proposed [goose bag limit increase / youth hunt timing change] because [specific reason]. Please [specific request]."
#2 · Critical
PFMC 2026 Ocean Salmon Seasons
Final adoption April 12, 2026
Pacific Fishery Management Council / NOAA Fisheries · Statewide coast · Klamath, Trinity & Sacramento rivers
The PFMC April 7–12 meeting in Portland is finalizing three California ocean salmon season alternatives — the first real season opening in three years. Sacramento River fall Chinook are forecast at 392,349 adults, more than double last year. Klamath River fall Chinook at 176,233. The Klamath and Trinity Rivers will open to harvest for the first time since 2023, with quota alternatives ranging 3,235–3,355 adult fall Chinook. Written comments can still be submitted via the PFMC e-portal before final adoption tentatively on April 12.
🌐 Why it matters
This decision sets California's entire 2026–27 salmon season: open dates, bag limits, and Klamath/Trinity river quotas that determine how much harvest can occur before in-season closures. After three years of closures that idled a $1.4 billion California salmon industry, the alternative chosen will shape both near-term opportunity and the long-term recovery trajectory for Sacramento and Klamath stocks.
📊 Ranking scores
1. Active windowHIGHPFMC meeting is live April 7–12; final adoption tentatively April 12.
2. Hunter / anglerHIGHDirectly sets 2026 CA salmon seasons, open dates, bag limits, and Klamath/Trinity river quotas.
3. ScaleHIGHAll California coastal salmon fisheries from the Oregon border to the Mexican border.
4. IrreversibilityLOWAnnual preseason process; reset each year through the same PFMC framework.
5. CA specificityHIGHThree alternatives are CA-specific; Klamath/Trinity quotas directly affect Northern CA anglers.
6. UrgencyHIGHMeeting is active today; final adoption in five days.
Submit Comment via PFMC E-Portal ↗
PFMC Salmon Alternatives ↗
Federal Register Notice ↗
Example: "I am an angler on the [Klamath/Trinity/Sacramento] River. I support Alternative [1/2/3] because [specific reason related to quota, open dates, or escapement]. Please adopt [specific request]."
#3 · High
Roadless Rule Rescission — Draft EIS
Opens late April 2026 — 30-day window
USDA Forest Service · ~4.5M+ acres · Sierra Nevada, Shasta-Trinity, Los Padres, Sequoia, Tahoe & more
The USDA's Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule is expected by end of April, immediately triggering a 30-day public comment period. California's 10 national forests contain millions of acres of inventoried roadless areas — the mid-elevation terrain where most California deer, elk, and bear hunting occurs, and where headwaters feeding trout and steelhead streams originate. As of April 2, no agency public hearings have been announced. Written comments will be the only input mechanism. Watch docket FS-2025-0001 and be ready to comment the day it drops.
🌐 Why it matters
Rescinding the Roadless Rule would permanently open California's backcountry national forest land to new road construction and commercial logging — fragmenting deer and elk habitat, degrading headwater streams used by trout and steelhead, and eliminating the wilderness-character buffer that keeps these areas productive for hunters. Once the rule is gone, restoring it requires a full future rulemaking. This is the most consequential land-use decision affecting California hunters and anglers currently in motion.
📊 Ranking scores
1. Active windowHIGHDraft EIS expected within ~30 days; once published, the 30-day comment clock starts immediately.
2. Hunter / anglerHIGHMid-elevation roadless forests are primary deer, elk, and bear habitat and trout headwaters across CA.
3. ScaleHIGHMillions of acres across Sierra Nevada, Shasta-Trinity, Los Padres, Sequoia, Tahoe, Lassen, and others.
4. IrreversibilityHIGHPermanent rule rescission; requires a full future administration rulemaking to reinstate protections.
5. CA specificityHIGHAll 10 California USFS Region 5 national forests contain inventoried roadless areas subject to this rule.
6. UrgencyHIGHOnce published, 30-day window is extremely compressed — must be ready to comment immediately.
Watch Docket FS-2025-0001 ↗
USFS Roadless Rule Project Page ↗
Federal Register NOI ↗
Example: "I am a hunter/angler who accesses deer and trout habitat in the [Sierra Nevada / Shasta-Trinity / Los Padres] National Forest. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would fragment critical wildlife habitat and degrade headwater streams. I urge the Forest Service to retain the 2001 Roadless Rule."
#4 · High
Mountain Lion CESA Listing — Formal Findings Adoption
Written testimony by April 10 · Adoption April 15–16
CA Fish & Game Commission / CDFW · Southern CA & Central Coast · 11 counties · ~1,449 lions
On February 12, 2026, the FGC voted 3-0 to list the Southern California and Central Coast mountain lion population as threatened under CESA — the first formal big-cat listing in California history. The Commission must still adopt its formal written findings; April 15–16 is the next hearing. Affected counties: Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and parts of the Bay Area. Depredation permit authority under Prop. 117 survives the listing, but California's three-strike policy requiring nonlethal attempts before lethal permits is now embedded in a CESA framework, adding documentation and mitigation burden for ranchers and land managers.
🌐 Why it matters
For deer hunters, a CESA-listed predator population means reduced management flexibility in 11 Southern California and Central Coast counties where lion-deer dynamics are already straining tag opportunity. The findings adoption at April 15–16 is where hunters can shape depredation permit timelines and demand that recovery planning include measurable prey species monitoring requirements — not just lion survival metrics.
📊 Ranking scores
1. Active windowHIGHFormal findings adoption expected at April 15–16 Commission meeting; written comments by April 10.
2. Hunter / anglerHIGHAffects deer/elk prey dynamics, depredation permit process, and predator management in 11 counties.
3. ScaleHIGH~1,449 lions across Southern CA and Central Coast; millions of acres of deer hunting habitat affected.
4. IrreversibilityHIGHCESA listings are extremely difficult to reverse; sets regulatory baseline for years to come.
5. CA specificityHIGHCalifornia-only CESA action covering a defined distinct population segment within the state.
6. UrgencyHIGHSame April 10 written comment deadline as waterfowl; formal findings adoption this week.
Submit Comment to FGC ↗
CDFW Listing Announcement ↗
April 15–16 Meeting Agenda ↗
Example: "I am a hunter/rancher in [county] affected by the Southern CA mountain lion CESA listing. I urge the Commission to [streamline depredation permit timelines / require prey species monitoring in the recovery plan]. Recovery planning must protect deer populations and livestock producers, not only lion survival metrics."
#5 · High
FGC 2026–27 Big Game & Coyote Take Vetting
Written comments by April 10 · Hearing April 15–16
CA Fish & Game Commission / CDFW · Statewide · Deer, elk, bear, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, coyote
The April 15–16 Commission meeting includes initial vetting for 2026–27 big game seasons: deer, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, and bear season recommendations, plus a discussion of potential changes to coyote take regulations. Written comments submitted by April 10 will be available to commissioners before the meeting; oral testimony can be delivered in person on either day. This is the entry point where hunters shape next fall's deer tag quotas, zone structures, and bear season dates before they become final.
🌐 Why it matters
Initial vetting is where population survey data and hunter input first enter the regulatory record. Tag quota decisions made here for X-zone deer, tule elk, and pronghorn will directly determine how many licenses are available in the fall draw. Coyote take regulation changes deserve particular attention from upland bird hunters given documented coyote pressure on quail and pheasant nesting success across Central Valley hunting grounds.
📊 Ranking scores
1. Active windowHIGHWritten comment deadline April 10; hearing in 8 days at the April 15–16 meeting.
2. Hunter / anglerHIGHDeer tag quotas, zone structures, bear seasons, and coyote regulations all directly affect hunters.
3. ScaleHIGHStatewide big game program across all A, B, C, D, and X deer zones.
4. IrreversibilityLOWAnnual regulatory cycle; this is initial vetting, not final adoption.
5. CA specificityHIGHCalifornia state big game program managed exclusively by CDFW and FGC.
6. UrgencyHIGHSame written comment deadline as waterfowl; hearing this week.
Submit Comment to FGC ↗
April 15–16 Agenda ↗
Attend or Watch Live ↗
Example: "I am a deer hunter in [zone/county]. I urge the Commission to [maintain/increase/reduce] tag quotas in [specific zone] based on [population data/habitat conditions]. Regarding coyote take regulations, [specific position]. Please ensure big game management decisions are grounded in current population survey data."
#6 · Ongoing
Congressional Review Act — 14 CA Land Plans at Risk
No formal comment period — contact reps now
U.S. Congress / BLM & USFS · 14 CA plans · Berryessa Snow Mountain NM & others statewide
Congress has already used the Congressional Review Act to nullify BLM resource management plans in Alaska, Montana, and North Dakota — and applied it to a National Monument management plan for the first time (Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah, February 26, 2026). At risk in California are 14 BLM and Forest Service management plans, including Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which governs hunting access, grazing, and watershed protections across Napa, Lake, Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, and Tehama counties. If nullified via CRA, agencies are prohibited from issuing a substantially similar rule for years.
🌐 Why it matters
CRA nullification is effectively permanent for the life of a Congress — no comment period, no NEPA review, no agency discretion. The management plans being targeted govern road access designations, grazing allotments that shape vegetation and wildlife cover, and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern that overlap with deer and elk habitat. There is no formal comment mechanism. The only lever is direct constituent contact with California's congressional delegation before a resolution is introduced.
📊 Ranking scores
1. Active windowHIGHCRA resolutions can be introduced without warning; no fixed deadline means any day could be the day.
2. Hunter / anglerHIGHBLM management plans govern hunting access, grazing allotments, and watershed protections across CA.
3. ScaleHIGH14 CA plans covering millions of acres of BLM and National Monument land statewide.
4. IrreversibilityHIGHCRA nullification prohibits substantially similar rules for years — effectively permanent this Congress.
5. CA specificityHIGH14 California-specific BLM and USFS management plans explicitly named at risk.
6. UrgencyLOWNo fixed deadline, but precedent from other states means California could be targeted at any time.
Find Your U.S. Rep ↗
Contact U.S. Senators ↗
Background: CRA & CA Plans ↗
Example: "I am a hunter/angler and your constituent. I urge you to oppose any Congressional Review Act action against California BLM or Forest Service management plans, including the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument plan. These plans protect the hunting access and wildlife habitat my family has relied on for generations."
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