When it comes to Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Montana is as good as it gets. Of all of the Rocky Mountain bighorns ever entered in Boone and Crockett, 46% of them are from Montana. The rams harvested over the years in Montana have been among the biggest anywhere, with rams surpassing not only 190”, but also the 200” mark. The eastern part of the state holds the biggest rams in the Missouri River Breaks units. Not only are these eastern units at the top of trophy ram production, but they are unique in terrain. The “Breaks” units are gentle rolling, grassy slopes that do not require the rigorous backcountry mountain hunts that are synonymous with bighorn sheep hunting. Other units across the state may not hold rams that score as high as the rams in the “Breaks”, but world-class rams are available in many of Montana’s sheep units.
Unique to Montana is their Unlimited Sheep areas that allow hunters the chance to go on a bighorn hunt without having to wait years to draw. These tags are still distributed through the draw but are unlimited in number. There is a harvest quota associated with each of these units, and once the harvest quota is met, the hunt is closed soon after. Success is very low on the unlimited units and the terrain is very physical.
In addition to being home to some of the world’s largest bighorns, Montana also has some of the most reasonable fees for sheep tags for nonresident hunters. The tags are drawn at random where these coveted tags are not reserved for the applicants with the most points, giving newer applicants hope when they submit their application.
License Costs
Resident sheep tag |
$125 |
Nonresident sheep tag |
$1250 |
Resident sheep tag | $125 |
Nonresident sheep tag | $1250 |
News, notes and alerts
Applications are submitted online
Highlights
The largest rams anywhere repeatedly are harvested in Montana
Rams scoring around 190” are harvested in the premier units each year
Rams scoring 175” or more are available in most units across the state
Gentle terrain on the Missouri River Breaks units
Unlimited areas offer an over-the-counter opportunity to hunt bighorn sheep
Among the least expensive sheep tags
Bonus points are squared to give more of a chance to applicants with more points
Tags are drawn randomly giving every applicant a chance
Sheep are a very fragile species and disease is always a threat to the herd
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