Arizona continues to lead the West in the size of Desert bighorn rams harvested. They also have some incredible Rocky Mountain bighorn rams, with a couple tipping the scales over 180”. One key factor in accomplishing this is Arizona’s extremely conservative tag allocation strategy. They lean heavily to the cautious side even when they meet the criteria set in place to increase permits. These are, without a doubt, some of the toughest draw odds for sheep anywhere in the West, but if you are lucky enough to draw a tag in any of the units, you have a nearly 100% chance of harvesting a great ram. In 2025, the average score of bighorn rams harvested in the state was just over 161”. This is slightly down from last year, but this is still one of the best averages of any state out west.
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Arizona is home to two distinct subspecies of Desert bighorn sheep: the Nelsoni and the Mexican. The Nelsoni inhabit the northern region, while the Mexicana are found in the south. Although there are some subtle differences between these species, both are recognized as Desert bighorn sheep, and the chance to harvest one is one of the most coveted feats in hunting. The populations throughout the state remain robust, allowing for nearly 100% success rates for all hunts. Many Desert sheep units in Arizona offer the potential for rams to reach 170”, with some even exceeding the impressive 180” mark. Generally, the larger rams tend to come from the southern units where the Mexicana sheep are located.
Every year, it seems AZGFD makes a fair number of cuts to its sheep units, and this year is no different. Desert bighorn unit 15C north had a permit cut and now only one permit, is now a resident-only hunt. Units 15D and 44B north had permit reductions but remained in the non-resident draw pool. That said, most of the changes involved in the increasing tag numbers or stratifying the hunt to alleviate hunter pressure. Units 40B Tinajas, 41E, and 44B South all had their hunts stratified but kept the same number of tags overall. They all shifted tags to an additional season to alleviate hunting pressure for those lucky enough to draw a sheep tag. Units 41 West, 43A, and 45C all received tag increases.
Top point applicants will want to take note this year if planning on applying for Desert sheep unit 22. The state has plans in place to drain Canyon Lake in order to repair the dam. Most hunters and guides that access the hunt units will be using boat from Canyon Lake, oftentimes spotting rams from the lake and shoreline. This access will not exist this year, and hunters will be forced to come in from above, which greatly increases the physical difficulty of this hunt.
Other notable changes for residents involve two additional hunts added to unit 37A North, giving this unit three hunts with one tag each. Additionally, unit 44A was split to 44A West and 44A East, both of which only have one tag. Despite big hopes that the tag quota in unit 24B would be increased this year, both 24B North and 24B South are still only available to residents. It is obvious that last year’s surveys were a fluke and that populations remain low.
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep have a smaller range in Arizona than Desert bighorns, but they are equally as impressive in quality. While there were very few changes in 2026 to Rocky Mountain bighorn hunts, there was one big one. Unit 6A, which was once touted as one of the best and most productive bighorn populations in the state, is now down to one tag and will only be available to residents this year. The Upper Blue River received a one tag increase this year and was separated completely from the Lower Blue River hunt to push back into the mix of non-resident hunts for the first time since 2022. The Lower Blue River remains in the resident-only pool.
In Arizona, it’s crucial to pay attention to where the random permits are typically allocated. You will want to focus more on the units that do not produce the biggest rams and make sure that these still be random permits available. The state awards 20% of the permits to applicants with the highest bonus points in the draw (the bonus pass). For non-residents, there is a quota limiting them to a maximum of 10% of sheep permits available statewide, which translates to 15 total permits for the 2025 season. This is a silver lining for non-resident applicants, as 90 to 100% of non-resident permits are usually distributed through the random draw, giving everyone a chance. However, the odds indicate that almost all bonus pass permits will likely go to resident applicants in units known for producing large rams. In the sheep tables, we have included the total number of permits in the number of permits available in the random draw for each unit in the prior year’s draw. If you have fewer than 34 points, pay close attention to this data and steer clear of units that consistently issue all tags through the bonus pass.
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The Arizona Big Game online application deadline for sheep is 11:59 p.m. Arizona time on June 2, 2026.
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| 365-Day Hunting & Fishing License | $160 |
| Youth Combo Hunting & Fishing License (ages 10-17) | $5 |
| Application Fee or Bonus Point Only (per species) | $15 |
| PointGuard Plus (365-day membership, all species) | $25 |
| PointGuard Option (per species) | $10 |
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| Bighorn Sheep Permit | $1,800 |
Arizona Bighorn Sheep Hunting Articles from Huntin' Fool Magazine
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