Arizona continues to lead the West in the size of Desert bighorn rams harvested. They also have some incredible Rocky Mountain bighorn rams as well with a couple tipping the scales over 180”. One key factor in accomplishing this is that Arizona is extremely conservative with tag allocation. They lean heavily on the cautious side even when they meet the criteria set in place to increase permits. It is without a doubt one 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 near 100% odds of harvesting a great ram. In 2024, that average score of a bighorn ram harvested in the state was just over 163”. In most states, that would be one of the biggest rams harvested, but in Arizona, that was the average.
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Arizona is home to two distinct types of Desert bighorn sheep: the Nelsoni and the Mexicana. 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, with nearly 100% hunter success. Arizona offers some of the best draw odds and success rates for all hunts. The average success rate in Arizona for a potential for even rams that 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.
AZGFD has done some more juggling around with tag numbers and seasons again for 2025. 24B had low numbers surveyed this year on their aerial surveys, which in turn caused biologists to err on the side of caution and reduce the permits. Most likely, poor conditions during the survey caused the low counts, and we would not be surprised if this unit bounces back next year with more permits. On the other side of the coin, unit 22 added another hunt with two permits, and an additional hunt for non-residents in arguably the top Desert sheep unit in Arizona. Surveys in this unit showed high numbers of class 3 and 4 rams along with a growing population. AZGFD has reduced all of 40B and 41 West back down to just one hunt per unit. The 40B Mohawk/Copper Mtn unit was removed altogether from this year but reopened with one hunt this year also being available. 12B East also had the two hunts cut by half this year and still has two rams remaining for each hunt.
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep have a smaller range in Arizona than Desert sheep. While the tags are equally as impressive in quality, there are fewer chances this year for Rockies than Deserts, but a couple changes were made. Movement from Rocky Mountain sheep in unit 6A South into 22 has reduced the permits by one. Both 6A and 27/28 had a tag reduction but still have two tags in each of those hunts, making them available for non-residents again in 2025. Hunt area 4A/5A showed a good number of class 3 rams with some class 4 rams as well. This population has done very well and will now have two tags available. This is great for Rockies in that this will give non-residents a net gain of one hunt for 2025 despite the reduction of two tags for Rockies overall. The upper and lower Blue River sheep populations continue to recover but still haven’t recovered to the point to get them back into the non-resident pool, but we hope to see these units back in the fold before too long.
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 to make sure there are still random permits available. The state awards 20% of the permits to applicants with the most bonus points in the draw (the bonus pass). For non-residents, there’s a quota limiting them to a maximum of 10% of the overall statewide sheep permits, which translates to 15 total permits for the 2025 season. This is a silver lining for non-resident applicants as usually 90-100% of non-resident permits are distributed through the random draw, giving everyone a chance. However, the odds indicate that almost all bonus 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 and 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 3, 2025.
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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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