Arizona offers tremendous bighorn hunting opportunities if you are lucky enough to draw a tag! Arizona has both Desert and Rocky Mountain populations of Bighorn sheep. Desert bighorns inhabit harsh, dry mountain ranges in western, central and southern Arizona while Rocky Mountain bighorns live in central and northeast Arizona.
Totally protected by the territorial legislature in 1893, bighorn sheep were not legal game in Arizona until 1953, when it was determined that the limited hunting of desert bighorn rams might be the only way to save these animals. Aggressive conservation programs by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society have restored many populations within historical habitat statewide. As a result, permit numbers, hunt success and the number of units open to bighorn hunting, have increased substantially. In 1984, Arizona began offering Rocky Mountain sheep hunts as well after Rocky populations increased to sustainable levels.
In Arizona, bighorn are managed as a lifetime species, meaning a person is only allowed to harvest one of each species within their lifetime. Today, approximately 130-150 hunt permits are authorized each year. Of the total number of tags, approximately 85% are Desert tags and 15% are Rocky tags. Hunt success is typically over 90%.
Bighorn hunts are extremely physically demanding. Some units are much more accessible than others. Several bighorn populations and hunting opportunities occur in wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, and monuments.
Our 10 day bighorn hunts range from $7500 to $12,500.
