Zone D-4 is located in portions of Colusa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. This is the middle zone using the D3-5 tag and spans from I-5 to near Lake Tahoe north of I-80.

As with most of California, there will be plenty of hunters in the field. Stay safe and wear your blaze orange clothing. The D 3-5 tag is an over the counter 2-tag zone close to major urban areas. These factors lend to the crowded hunting conditions in addition to many of the non-hunting outdoor recreational enthusiasts.

The terrain in this zone changes drastically form east to west. It runs from the flat lands in the valleys in the west, up into the high mountains of the Sierra Nevadas in the east.The weather is usually hot and dry during archery and early general season, but thunderstorms are common. By the first 2 weeks of October significant storms may hit the Sierras. The chance for significant snowfall increases throughout the season. Hunting roads are not plowed right away, if at all, so carry a method of extraction for your vehicle if storms are forecast.

Zone D-4 contains a mixture of both public and private lands however most of the public land is in the eastern portion of the zone in the mountains.

There are some public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the western portion of the zone, but access is extremely limited. West of Foresthill most of the land is private, although there are some public lands administered by the BLM in the Iowa Hill Area.

Wilderness lands have been established within the Tahoe National Forest. The Granite Chief Wilderness Area is accessible by hiking and pack stock. Public use of the wilderness is regulated by permit. This area often gives up large bucks by those willing to put their camp on their back.

Hunting is also allowed on the Feather River Wildlife Area, administered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. For more information and maps of these areas contact the Sacramento Valley and Central Sierra Region Office, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 (916-358-2900).

Deer hunting is allowed in limited portions of the Auburn State Recreation Area along the North and Middle forks of the American River near the town of Auburn. Please contact the ASRA (530-885-4527). This is very vertical country and dense with vegetation and day hikers.

The vegetation is highly varied throughout Zone D-4 ranging from oak-woodland, mixed and montane chaparral, hardwood, hardwood-conifer, aspen and dense conifer to alpine habitats.

There are many USFS campgrounds within the hunt zone and these are shown on USFS maps. Informal camping is allowed on both USFS and BLM lands, but campfire permits are required to operate a camp stove/barbecue.