Texas Bighorn Sheep

Our magazine, which is available in print and online, has everything in one location - application info, draw details and odds, fees, hunter requirements, point structure, age restrictions, youth information, weapon restrictions,  other tag opportunites, hunt planning, and much more. If you would like access to all of our research, join today!

The auction tag is valid for a predetermined unit that can change year to year. It is decided upon by surveys done by the Parks and Wildlife Department. For the last few years, the auction tag has brought in $140,000 or more to all of the organizations it has been sold through. The hunt dates are flexible and are decided upon by the auction winner and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The hunter may bring along one non-hunting companion. In addition to the permit, the hunter is required to possess a valid Texas hunting license.

Landowner tags are available in Texas. Permits are issued to landowners or their agents in areas of West Texas. The exact number of permits will be determined based on aerial surveys of the area in late August, and TPWD will notify the landowners. At this time, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department does not have a process in place to release the contact information of the landowners who receive permits.

For 2026, there will not be a permit issued through their public drawn hunt system. You will not lose any accrued points from the past, and they will sit idle in your account until that hunt category is available again. TPWD is optimistic that we will have a hunt in the years to come, but they are postponing the hunt due to low numbers of sheep in their aerial surveys. The hunt traditionally is conducted on the Black Gap, Elephant Mountain, or Sierra Diablo WMA, with season dates spanning from January to June. Harvest success is 100% almost every year. An applicant must be seventeen or older to apply. For the 2024/2025 season, there were 10,980 applicants for the one permit. For the 2023/2024 season, there were 9,778 applicants for the one permit. For the 2022/2023 season, there were 6,491 applicants for the one permit.