Nevada has three different species of sheep: Rocky Mountain bighorn, Desert bighorn, and California bighorn. Non-residents can apply for both Desert bighorn and California bighorn this year. Residents can apply for all three species. Again for 2026, there will not be a non-resident Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep tag available.
Non-residents can apply for a Desert bighorn ram tag, a California bighorn ram tag, and a Desert bighorn ewe tag. You can potentially draw both ram tags in the same year. You are only able to draw one Desert bighorn sheep tag per year, but the ram tags are drawn before the ewe tags. If you are in the waiting period after drawing a ram tag, apply for a ewe tag. See the “Opportunity Hunts” section for more information on the non-resident Desert bighorn sheep ewe tags. Any hunter who draws a bighorn sheep tag is required to attend a mandatory bighorn sheep seminar, which is available online.
If you are a Nevada resident and want to talk more about the resident-only units for Desert bighorn, California bighorn, or Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, give us a call.
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If you want to draw a Desert bighorn sheep tag, you need to be applying in Nevada. They give out more non-resident Desert bighorn sheep tags than any other state. In 2025, Nevada issued a total of 216 ram tags, which was 27 more than in 2024. Last year, non-residents had 18 ram tags available, which was 1 more than in 2024. Ram hunters had a 90% harvest success rate statewide, with seven harvested rams scoring over 168” and one giant that was officially scored at 176”. The average score last year was 150 5/8”.
Overall, Nevada’s Desert bighorn sheep population is down. In the last couple years, non-residents have lost the opportunity to hunt in units 161, 162/163, 181, 207, 211, 212, 213, 244, and 271. A lot of these tag reductions have come as the result of die-offs, drought, and reduced resident tag availability.
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The drought has been tough on some of the sheep in southern Nevada. Due to multiple years of drought and poor feed, the rams have not put on the horn growth they would have in normal moisture years. This effect of years of harvest. Units 267 and 268 in particular have been trending down in ram size for years, though there is still an outside chance for 160”+ rams in both units. Honestly, units 181W, 183, and 184 are producing a bigger average ram than unit 267 and 268. On the bright side, southern Nevada has received a ton of moisture this year, leaving the desert country covered with green grass and the animals in a lot better shape. Hopefully southern Nevada will continue to get good moisture so these rams can keep putting on some good horn growth.
Having lost unit 213 from the 2025 season, non-residents must now choose from five Desert bighorn hunts to choose from this year. Despite this, some units offer trophy caliber sheep habitat, and in one unit, you can be chasing rams at 10,000 feet above elevation. Take your time looking over our Desert sheep table and choose the units you want to apply for. If you are looking for a book ram, you should stick to units that match not only your size expectations but also your physical capabilities. Nevada is a state that has something for everyone.
Another opportunity for non-residents is the Desert sheep ewe hunt. Nevada is going to give non-residents tags again this year in unit 268. See the “Opportunity Hunts” section for more information on the ewe hunts.
In 2025, Nevada issued 41 tags. Of those, 4 went to non-residents. Hunters averaged a 93% success rate, which was up from 85% in 2024. The biggest ram killed checked in at 17 4/8” and was taken in unit 033. That 174" California bighorn ram was the largest taken in Nevada since 2018. In 2025, the average statewide age was 6.2 years old, down from 6.8 years in 2024. The average score was 152 6/8”, which is the same as in 2024. There were seven California bighorn rams taken in 2025 that scored over 160”, which was four less than in 2024.
For 2026, Nevada has split the season in unit 068. They will offer an early hunt with season dates running from August 20 to September 30 and a later season of October 1 to November 10. This change should spread out the hunting pressure and make the hunt more enjoyable. Non-residents will have the early hunt on 068 as well as units 032, 034, and 035 to choose from. All of those units have the potential to produce a 160” ram, but 035 will have the best potential to produce a bigger ram. Units 034 and 035 produced five rams over 160” last year. Unit 035 can be a very physical sheep hunt, so maybe not apply here if you are not up for a more physical hunt. If you are a resident, you should also consider units 012, 022, 031, 033, 035E, and 051 as they have the potential to produce 160” class rams.
Read through our unit descriptions to see which units best fit your hunting goals and get your application in. With only four California bighorn sheep units to choose from, we recommend people apply for all of them. California bighorn sheep draw odds are considerably worse for both residents and non-residents than the odds of drawing a Desert sheep tag in Nevada.
For 2026, all available Rocky Mountain sheep tags will be issued to residents. Once the quota gets over ten resident tags, Nevada will once again issue a non-resident tag. The big news for resident hunts is that they are going to reopen unit 091 and issue a resident permit in 2026. This herd has been struggling from a die-off, but due to having older rams in the population, they are going to have a hunt. Unit 102 hunters did really well in 2025 and took two rams for nine years old, the largest of which scored 183”. That was the first Boone and Crockett ram killed in Nevada since the die off in the Ruby Mountains that happened a few years ago. Unit 115 is still a struggle for hunters due to sheep living in the park. The hunter in 2025 took a 4-year-old ram that graded 141. Hopefully the Rocky Mountain bighorn population will continue to grow, allowing NDOW to someday offer a non-resident tag again.
Over the last 20+ years, we've collected hunting research and data, so join Huntin' Fool today and access the best research tools for hunting bighorn sheep in Nevada, including Draw Odds, Consultations, and much more. Go on more hunts with better information!
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The Nevada application deadline is May 13, 2026 at 11:00 p.m. (PDT).
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Up-Front Fees |
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| Hunt/Fish Combo License (365-day license) | $156 |
| Youth Hunt/Fish Combo License (365-day license) | $16 |
| Application Fee (all species except elk) | $14 |
| Silver State Tag Application Fee (all species except elk) | $24 |
| PIW Application Fee | $11 |
| Bonus Point Only Fee | $11 |
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| Bighorn Sheep (ram or ewe) | $1,201 |
Nevada Bighorn Sheep Hunting Articles from Huntin' Fool Magazine
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