Unit D8 Zone D8
Rugged southern-Sierra mule deer between the Kings and Kern drainages.
Southern Sierra Nevada — Sequoia National Forest & Giant Sequoia country · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
5,806
sq mi
Public land
70%
approx.
Elevation
1,000–12,000
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Zone D8 anchors the southern Sierra Nevada around the Sequoia National Forest, the Giant Sequoia National Monument and the fringes of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, in the high, remote country east of the Tulare County foothills. It holds migratory southern-Sierra mule deer that summer near the crest and drop through steep timbered canyons into the chaparral and oak below as fall weather moves them. Nearly 6,000 square miles of largely public forest make it a big, wild general-tag zone, though the biggest parks in its core are closed to hunting.
Terrain
Deeply incised southern-Sierra canyons — the Kaweah, Tule and Kern drainages — climb from hot chaparral foothills through giant-sequoia mixed conifer to granite crest and high plateau.
Cover: Chamise and blue-oak chaparral in the foothills, dense ponderosa/mixed conifer and groves of giant sequoia mid-slope, red fir and lodgepole up high, with granite and alpine meadow at the top.
Landmarks: Kern River canyon · Kaweah River drainages · Giant Sequoia National Monument · Kern Plateau · Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP boundary (no hunting) · Highway 190 / Western Divide
Access
Most of the zone is open Sequoia National Forest and monument land with a good but rugged Forest Service road system and large roadless/wilderness blocks. The core national parks are closed to hunting and dominate the high center. Lower foothill fringes hold BLM parcels mixed with private ranch ground.
Managers: USFS Sequoia NF (incl. Giant Sequoia National Monument), USFS Inyo NF (eastern crest fringe), BLM southern-Sierra foothills, National Park Service (Sequoia & Kings Canyon — closed to hunting), Private ranch and timber
Access points: Highway 190 over the Western Divide (Ponderosa/Camp Nelson) · Kern River canyon / Highway 178 and Sherman Pass Road · Mountain Highway 99 (Springville) into the Tule drainage · Kern Plateau roads off Sherman Pass · Wilderness trailheads into Golden Trout and South Sierra
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityMigratory southern-Sierra mule deer are the primary game. Harvest is opportunity-grade — success in the single-digit-to-low-teens range across a very large, steep zone. Bucks summer high near the crest and the Kern Plateau and migrate down the canyon systems with the first storms; hunters who cover country and time the weather do best.
- →Glass the chaparral-conifer transition benches at dawn and dusk
- →Hunt the Kern Plateau and crest fringe early before deer drop
- →Work Forest Service ridge roads and old burn/regrowth edges in the timber
- →Follow the first fall storms down the Kaweah and Tule canyons
Black Bear
common opportunityThe southern Sierra holds solid black bear numbers through the conifer and oak belt. Bears are regularly taken by deer hunters on the acorn flats and by dedicated bear hunters working the brush and drainage bottoms.
- →Hunt oak flats during the acorn drop
- →Glass north-slope brush and berry patches
- →Check creek bottoms and springs in dry stretches
Bighorn Sheep
limited trophySierra Nevada bighorn use the high southern crest and eastern escarpment on the Inyo side. It is an endangered, intensively managed herd with only a rare premium draw tag — emblematic of the high country, not a general opportunity.
- →Available only via the scarce drawn crest tag
- →Requires committed high-alpine backcountry hunting
Pro tips
- →The Kern Plateau and crest hold summering bucks — hunt high and early, then follow deer down with the weather
- →Old burns across the southern Sierra grow browse that concentrates deer a few seasons out
- →Know exactly where the Sequoia & Kings Canyon park boundaries fall — hunting stops at the line
- →Carry a Sequoia NF MVUM; the road net is good but the foothill private/BLM mix is easy to stray into
- →This is remote, low-water country in the south — pack water and plan the pack-out before you shoot
Watch out for
- !Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are closed to all hunting and dominate the zone's core
- !Large Golden Trout / South Sierra wilderness blocks are non-motorized — no vehicle retrieval
- !Fire and smoke closures are a chronic late-summer hazard in the southern Sierra
- !Very steep canyon terrain makes wounded-deer recovery dangerous — pick shots carefully
- !Foothill heat and scarce water early in the season; ranch/BLM checkerboard on the fringes needs verifying
Logistics
Porterville, Springville and Visalia on the west and Kernville on the Kern River are the staging towns for fuel, food and lodging, with dispersed and developed campgrounds throughout the Sequoia NF and along the Kern. Access roads are long, steep and slow, and cell coverage disappears fast on the Western Divide and Kern Plateau. High trailheads add hours and altitude.
Nearest towns: Porterville, Springville, Kernville, Three Rivers, Visalia
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official California sources:
Research sources: CDFW — Deer Hunting Zones and Maps · USFS — Sequoia National Forest · CDFW — Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep
FAQ
- How big is Unit D8 in California?
- Unit D8 (Zone D8) covers about 5,806 square miles, ranging from roughly 1,000 to 12,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit D8?
- Approximately 70% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Sequoia NF (incl. Giant Sequoia National Monument), USFS Inyo NF (eastern crest fringe), BLM southern-Sierra foothills, National Park Service (Sequoia & Kings Canyon — closed to hunting), Private ranch and timber. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit D8?
- Mule Deer, Black Bear, Bighorn Sheep. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official California agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit D8 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.