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Arizona will again increase the overall sheep tags. For 2023, they will increase them by 16 to bring the overall number to 156. This will add one more permit that could potentially go to non-residents. This is a welcome sight with sheep being such a great resource, and more hunters will be able to hunt these majestic animals. All of the increase is coming from the Desert bighorn side with a slight decrease of one tag on the Rocky Mountain bighorn side. This is a win for all hunters aspiring to hunt sheep someday as any tag increase is good regardless of how little it might move the needle.
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There are 17 total Desert sheep tags that have been added this year, mostly by adding seasons to existing hunt areas, and in most cases, doubling the tags. Populations as a whole are doing well in the state, and more ram tags are definitely warranted. With harvest success at or near 100% statewide, it’s more of a question of how big the ram will be instead of if you will harvest a ram. There were also some units added to the non-resident list, including unit 43A which holds some great rams. Units 15B West, 15C North, and 43A all had a one tag increase to bring their total up to two tags, which makes them eligible for a non-resident to draw one of the tags. Unfortunately, non-residents did lose unit 37B with a tag reduction. Pay close attention to the sheep tables as to which units have had hunts added to them.
What makes Desert sheep hunting in Arizona so special is that almost every unit has the ability to produce a B&C ram. In fact, the average B&C score of Desert bighorns harvested in 2022 was just over 160". Thirtysix out of 117 Desert bighorns harvested scored at least 168" or better. The average age of Desert bighorns harvested in 2022 was 8 years old. That is unheard of in this day and age when Desert bighorn rams are pretty much on borrowed time after age 7. Habitat, water development projects, and predator control have all contributed to the success of the species. This year, there will be 47 total hunts for non-residents to apply for, which will spread out the applications a little better.
Rocky Mountain bighorns are not as prevalent across the landscape as Desert bighorns, but Arizona does produce some of the largest rams found anywhere in the West. The average Rocky Mountain bighorn B&C score was 172" in 2022, which is as good as anywhere. This includes the largest ram taken last year in Arizona, which is on the cover of this month’s issue, and it came in at 191 6/8". Populations are good overall, but non-residents did lose the 27 Upper Blue River hunt. It has been up and down over the years with one or two tags. Realistically, every single Rocky unit has the ability to produce a 180"+ ram, and every unit produced a 170"+ram in 2022. Just pay attention to the number of tags issued in the bonus pass if you do not have max points as a number of these tags are drawn in this pass.
The most important thing to pay attention to in Arizona is where the random permits typically go. The reason we want to focus on those units that don’t spit out as many giant rams is because of the way Arizona conducts its sheep draw. Arizona awards 20% of the permits to applicants with the highest number of bonus points in the draw (bonus pass). The non-resident quota is set up so that non-residents can only draw up to 10% of the overall statewide sheep quota, which is 15 total sheep permits for the 2023 season. That is the only bright spot when it comes to non-resident applications because typically 90%-100% of non-resident permits are allocated in the random draw where everyone has a shot at drawing them. The odds are that almost all of the bonus permits will be awarded to resident applicants in units that typically produce giant rams. In the sheep tables, we listed the total number of permits and number of available permits in the random draw for each unit. Pay attention to this stat if you have less than 33 points, and avoid those units that historically issue all tags in the bonus pass.
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Search our database of Arizona Bighorn Sheep opportunities.
Ahe Arizona Big Game online application deadline for sheep is 11:59 p.m. Arizona time on June 6, 2023.
Our online/print magazine has everything in one location: Application info, draw details and odds, fees, hunter requirements, point structure, age restrictions, youth information, weapon restrictions, other tag opportunities, hunt planning and much more. If you would like access to all of our research join today!
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| 365-Day Hunting & Fishing License | $160 |
| Youth Combo Hunting & Fishing License (ages 10-17) | $5 |
| Application Fee | $15 |
| Bonus Point Only Application | $15 |
| 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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