Oroville Wildlife Area

Recreational Opportunities

Hours: Public entry to the wildlife area is allowed from 1 1/2 hours before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset, except at designated camping area.

Activities: fishing, wildlife viewing, hunting, and shooting range

The Rabe Road shooting range is closed for cleanup on the last Thursday of each month with the exception of the November and December holidays. It is closed on November 21 and December 26, 2024 and on November 20 and December 18, 2025. Dates are subject to change and additional closures may be necessary.

Otherwise the range is open daily from sunrise to sunset for rifles, pistols, shotguns, and archery. There is no rangemaster, paper and clay targets only.

Facilities: camping, restrooms, and launch access

Camping: Prior to camping on the wildlife area, visitors must obtain a camping permit from the California Highway Patrol office located at 2072 3rd Street, Oroville, CA 95965, (530) 538-2700. Camping and trailers are allowed in designated campsites only for active permit holders. Camping shall be permitted to not more than seven (7) consecutive days, and not more than fourteen (14) days total in any calendar year. Open fires are prohibited, cooking is allowed only in portable gas stoves.

For motel information, contact the Oroville Chamber of Commerce(opens in new tab) at (530) 538-2542.

Hunting Opportunities

Type C: Oroville Wildlife Area, including the Thermalito Afterbay, does not require the purchase of a hunting pass for entry. Entry permits and/or passes or special drawing may be required for hunting on some Type C wildlife areas.

Game species include deer, dove, quail, squirrel, rabbit, and pheasant.

Hunting is on the uplands and Thermalito Afterbay. The forebay is owned by the Department of Parks and Recreation and is part of the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area.

Oroville Wildlife Area is closed to hunting from February 1 through August 31 except during the spring turkey season when only turkeys may be hunted through a special drawing.

Turkey: There is a drawing for the 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekends and the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesdays of the spring season. Apply through the Special Hunts Online Registration System. There is no fall turkey season.

Waterfowl: Thermalito Afterbay has scull boat and decoy opportunities. The dredger ponds offer decoy and jump shooting mainly in late season.

Area History

Before settlement, the area was typically riparian in nature. Wildlife abounded and some of the earliest explorers were fur trappers. The river alluvium was worked by miners from 1848 to 1857. The combination of available water, riparian vegetation, and grasslands in the adjoining alluvial fans made it suitable for livestock grazing. Permanent agriculture with small orchards and irrigated pastures developed until 1898 when gold dredging operations began. The dredging continued until 1952, leaving the land unusable except for small amounts of fishing and hunting afforded by the ponds and their riparian edges.

Two important diversions were constructed on what is now the wildlife area, and then removed when construction of the Oroville Dam eliminated the need for them. Materials removal for construction of the dam began in 1963. During construction, Department biologists were influential in preserving wildlife values and creating habitat with potential value such as ponds, lakes, and islands. In 1968, the property was designated as a wildlife area by the Fish and Game Commission.