Utah is one of only six states that offer desert bighorn sheep hunting. Though the species is widely distributed across the southern third of the state, numbers are low, and rams don’t get as big as in Nevada and Arizona. Hunters are limited to one tag in their lifetime. Fortunately, hunter success rates are high. The demand for tags is also high, especially among nonresidents. Half the tags in each unit go to hunters who apply with more bonus points than competitors have. Only residents benefit from this policy because only one tag is available to nonresident hunters in three areas that each cover several game management units. Bonus points given to nonresidents act as extra tickets in a raffle. Between 250 and 300 residents apply for each tag available to hunters who do not have 19 or 20 bonus points. About 2,400 applicants go for each nonresident tag. Hunters may use muzzleloaders, centerfire rifles, handguns or bows and arrows, but no seasons are exclusively for hunting with primitive weapons.
License Costs
Resident |
$513 |
Nonresident |
$2,200 |
Resident | $513 |
Nonresident | $2,200 |
News, notes and alerts
Applications are submitted online
All units but one are open mid-September to mid-November
The exception, Pine Valley, is open late September to late December
The annual hunting license is valid for 365 days from date of purchase
A sportsman’s tag is issued by lottery every year to a resident
The sportsman’s tag holder may hunt in any desert sheep unit
The sportsman’s tag season is Sept. 1-Dec. 31
Highlights
Rams in several units rarely exceed 140” Boone and Crockett
Hunter success is high, rarely less than 100% in each unit
Rams in some units are difficult to find until the rut in November
Hunters often underestimate the difficulty of finding and seeing rams
Many hunters will book with an outfitter that has knowledge of the unit
Boone and Crockett entries
** Units listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Units in this table are included if any part of the unit is found within the county.
County |
Entries |
Units within county |
Kane |
10 |
Washington |
7 |
Garfield |
3 |
Kaiparowits West / Kaiparowits East / Kaiparowits Escalante / San Rafeal/Dirty Devil / Henry Mountains |
County | Entries | Units within county |
Kane | 10 | |
Washington | 7 | |
Garfield | 3 | Kaiparowits West / Kaiparowits East / Kaiparowits Escalante / San Rafeal/Dirty Devil / Henry Mountains |
0 Comments