Drawing Application
Overview and Dates
During the 2024–2025 State of California waterfowl hunting season, the Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is offering three General Public hunting opportunities and one Youth Hunt at the 2500-acre Sierra Valley Preserve near Beckwourth, California. These hunts are open to the residents of Plumas, Lassen, and Sierra Counties ONLY, in order to provide members of the local communities that FRLT serves with an opportunity to experience the Sierra Valley Preserve.
Read more about FRLT’s approach to hunting at the Sierra Valley Preserve.
The dates of the General Public hunts are:
- Tuesday, December 10
- Tuesday, January 14
- Tuesday, January 28
Youth Hunt:
- Sunday, February 2
Submit a Drawing Application
Applications for all hunting dates close 12/2 at midnight.
The drawing will be pulled on 12/3 and applicants will be notified if they have been selected.
General Public Hunts: Please submit your name, contact, and payment info, in the form below. Applicants may choose to enter the drawing for either or both dates but will not be chosen for more than one date. Applicants may submit up to 3 drawing entries for each hunt date, and a maximum of 6 entries total for the season. Three applicants will be selected per hunt date and each applicant can bring a guest hunter. Fees apply for each entry.
General Public Hunt Application
Youth Hunt: Parents/Guardians, please fill out the following form for participants in the Youth Hunt. Youth Hunters MUST be under the age of 16. 16-year-olds may hunt during the Youth Hunt if they have turned 16 after July 1, 2024. We request an adult chaperone accompany the youth participant on the day of the hunt (the adult chaperone will not participate in hunting).
Hunt Conditions
Each date includes an introductory hunt orientation—consisting of personal introductions, FRLT organizational overview, a safety overview, and a hunt strategy discussion with FRLT staff and your hunt chaperone.
Eligible Public Hunt drawing applicants* selected can bring one guest and will be accompanied on the date of their hunt by a local volunteer chaperone** familiar with waterfowl hunting in Sierra Valley and with the preserve. These chaperones come with, in some cases, life-long experience and will provide you with valuable information regarding safety, navigation, and hunting conditions.
Weather & migration timing variability are key factors, but, generally, January hunts may take place with freezing conditions targeting migrating geese, primarily Canada Geese.
*Successful applicants will be required to submit proof of local residency via photo documentation of Valid CA ID & a current CA hunting license or CA junior hunting license; all state & federal waterfowl hunting regulations apply; Sierra Valley Preserve lies within the ‘Balance of State’ zone for CA waterfowl hunting regulations; FRLT prohibits the take of Redhead ducks because of populations trends in Sierra Valley.
** In some circumstances FRLT staff familiar with hunting the property may accompany your party instead of volunteers.
BE ADVISED!
You will be hunting beautiful, raw, undeveloped marshland in Plumas County on the headwater wetland of the Middle Fork of the Feather River in the Sierra Valley (~2 miles south of the small town of Beckwourth on County Road A-23). This is part of a very limited pilot hunting program at the Sierra Valley Preserve which is managed and monitored by the Feather River Land Trust and local volunteers. Experienced waterfowl hunters will volunteer with orientation and getting hunters set-up on the morning of the hunt.
Depending on conditions, you may be hunting in inclement weather, or harsh conditions. Be prepared to walk up to a mile through vegetation, or snow, to get to the hunting ponds or areas along river channels. Bring a tule seat, seat pad, crate, or something similar for your comfort. A small sled is also advisable, no motorized vehicles access to hunting area. No more than two dogs for retrieving may be used per day. Think before you send your dog for a retrieve on the ice.
All state and federal hunting regulations and limits apply with the following exception: no redheads may be shot on the property. The property is in the Balance of the State Zone, so familiarize yourself with limits and species-specific seasons beforehand.
Make sure you have your hunting license, state & federal stamps, HIP survey completed, and non-toxic shotshells. Bring both duck and goose loads. There is no limit on the number of shells.
Please note that while FRLT is working on ADA-compliant recreation accommodations at Sierra Valley Preserve, no appropriate facilities yet exist to allow for sufficient wetland access for hunting opportunities for persons requiring mobility assistance. If you do have difficulty with mobility, or hiking long distances, please let us know in advance so we can do our best to accommodate you with as suitable a hunting set up as is possible.
Contacts
FRLT Office: Kevin Stammerjohn or Jenna Holland (530) 283-9095.
Field Conditions: Ryan Murray (775) 560-3485, Dave Valle (530) 927-7581, Robert Murray (530) 260-1706
