On the Calendar in California: November
A dog chases a flushing rooster at the BLM and CDFW Sacramento River Bend pheasant hunt, Tehama County, November 2013. Photo: Eric Coulter, BLM / public domain — source
November has one date that matters more than the rest. On Saturday, Nov. 14, pheasant, the second half of dove, and fall turkey all open on the same morning, with quail and chukar already open across the state. Around it sits a busy month: two CDFW drawn-hunt deadlines, a stamp-art contest, and a run of bird-dog trials and tests from the Sierra foothills to the Mojave. Here is what's coming, in date order, and who each one is for.
Oct. 25 and Nov. 15: CDFW's Drawn Pheasant Hunts
CDFW's planted pheasant hunts put stocked birds on wildlife areas and other ground the department opens for them, for juniors, families, new hunters and veterans, and most welcome a trained dog, pointer or flusher. If you meant to apply for the Nov. 14–22 hunts, Sunday, Oct. 25, is the last day; CDFW's page gives no cutoff hour, so don't leave it for tonight.
The next round closes Sunday, Nov. 15, and runs Dec. 5 to Feb. 20. Juniors have Merced, the Danny Robinson Memorial hunt in Riverside County, the Ray Azbill Memorial hunts in San Luis Obispo County on Jan. 30–31 (no dogs), and two hunts at Peace Valley in Los Angeles County that require a dog in the party (CDFW or volunteer dogs are provided if available, so check with the hunt contact before you count on one).
Families have Merced and the San Jacinto Wildlife Area. New hunters have their own: Merced on Dec. 6, San Jacinto on Jan. 10, and CDFW's Santa Margarita Pink Hunting Clinic, a no-dogs hunt in San Luis Obispo County on Feb. 20. CDFW counts you as a new hunter from your first California hunting license through the four license years after it, so if you moved here recently, that likely includes you. Each application costs $2.98 and isn't refundable; apply in the Drawings section of CDFW's online license system, at a license agent, or by phone at (800) 565-1458. Our note on which hunts take your dog has the rest. For a junior who's ready, it's as good a first pheasant morning as you can give them: stocked birds, a set day, and a dog working in front of them if you bring one.
Oct. 30 and Nov. 7–8: The California Brittany Club at California City
The California Brittany Club runs a field trial on Friday, Oct. 30, and AKC hunt tests on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7–8, all at California City in the Kern County desert, per the club's listings on Bird Dog Stakes. A hunt test grades each dog against a written standard at Junior, Senior or Master level, and passes count toward a title; a field trial places dogs against one another. If you run a Brittany, or are shopping for one, it's worth the drive. A trial or test is where you see a breeder's dogs work before you hand over a deposit, which one of us is about to do; catch the handlers afterward and ask how those dogs hunt on foot. You don't need a dog entered to watch; leave your own at home, and call the club before you drive out, since the listing posts no entry deadline.
Nov. 2 – Dec. 4: The Upland Game Bird Stamp Art Contest
CDFW takes entries for the 2026–27 Upland Game Bird Stamp art contest from Monday, Nov. 2, through Friday, Dec. 4, and this year's subject is the sooty grouse. It's open to U.S. residents 18 and older. Entries are mailed or shipped, each with a signed entry form, and hand delivery isn't accepted; the art has to be an original painting or drawing, with no photography or digital work. It is the one date on this list where the tool is a brush. If you know a painter who hunts, or a hunter who paints, send them CDFW's contest rules.
Nov. 6–11: Pointing Dogs at Jamestown
Three trials run in Tuolumne County over six days. The High Sierra German Shorthaired Pointer Club trial goes Nov. 6–8, followed by the High Sierra Pointing Dog Regional Classic, Nov. 8–10, both at Jamestown; entries for both close Sunday, Nov. 1, at 4 p.m. Pacific. The German Wirehaired Pointer Club of Northern California follows with its regional championship at Jamestown on Wednesday, Nov. 11. For anyone deciding between a German shorthair and a German wirehair for California, watching both breeds run the same week on the same ground is a better start than a winter of forum threads.
Saturday, Nov. 14: Pheasant, Dove and Fall Turkey Open
Pheasant runs Nov. 14 through Dec. 27. The limit is two roosters a day for the first two days and three a day after that, with possession at triple the daily bag. Pheasant shooting starts at 8 a.m. all season and runs to sunset, so opening morning starts later than dove or quail, which open a half hour before sunrise. Dove reopens the same morning and runs through Dec. 28, at 15 a day. Fall turkey runs through Dec. 13, one bird of either sex a day and two for the season. The usual rules still apply: nonlead ammunition everywhere in the state, the upland game bird validation for anyone not hunting on a junior license, and the free HIP validation for dove (the Harvest Information Program: a few questions about last season's birds when you get it). For anyone who grew up on Central Valley pheasant, this is still the opener that counts, even with fewer wild birds than we grew up with. Start with our pheasant page, the dove page, and the dove regulations rundown.
Saturday, Nov. 21: A NAVHDA Mock Test at Prado, and Setters at Marysville
Inland Empire NAVHDA, a Southern California chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, holds a mock test at Prado, near Chino, on Saturday, Nov. 21, three weeks ahead of its Dec. 11–13 test weekend there. A mock test is a dress rehearsal: a versatile dog, one bred to point, track and retrieve on land and in water, works through the test's field and water pieces before the scores count. The same day, the Monterey Bay English Setter Club runs a field trial at Marysville. One Saturday, two ends of the state, two very different kinds of dog.
Nov. 27 and Nov. 29: Entries Close for December's Desert Hunt Tests
Two AKC hunt-test weekends share California City on Dec. 5–6, and both are open to every AKC-registrable pointing breed. Entries for the South Coast Vizsla Club's tests close at 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. Entries for the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Southern California's close at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 29, at $75 a test. A holiday weekend is exactly when a deadline slips by.
What to Do This Week
Put Nov. 15 on the fridge if there's a junior in the house or you're still a new hunter by CDFW's count, Nov. 1 if you're entering a dog at Jamestown, and Nov. 14 everywhere else. If your club, chapter or clinic has a December date we should know about, whether it's a trial, a clinic or a habitat workday, write to hello@californiaupland.com. The December calendar comes out Sunday, Nov. 29.
Matt Gehrmann grew up hunting the Central Valley for pheasant, quail, and dove, and is based in the Bay Area. Read more → · Subscribe to the weekly digest →