SA-22
ARIZONA DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP
ARIZONA GAME & FISH DEPARTMENT
Amber Munig - Terrestrial Wildlife Branch
P: 623.236.7355
Arizona is the place for a quality Mexicana desert bighorn sheep hunt and produces an astounding number of large, old rams. On average a third of Arizona rams taken make the B& C book every year with several scoring better than 180”. The 2019 season was a great year for Mexicana bighorn sheep hunters in Arizona with 49 rams scoring more than 168”, 23 of those greater than 170”, and there were 3 rams scoring over 180”. Predictions for the 2020 seasons are every bit as good. The 2019 Special Tag holder took an 8-year old ram scoring 174. There is no finer opportunity than Arizona for taking an exceptional Mexicana desert bighorn sheep.
Arizona’s desert sheep country is some of the most picturesque in the West, and an excellent backdrop for the desert bighorn sheep hunt of your life. Bighorn sheep are managed very conservatively in Arizona. The winning bidder for this tag will have 365 days to pursue a desert bighorn sheep in Arizona’s best Mexicana sheep units. The units open for this hunt include: 16B, 22 South, 24B, 28 (south of U.S. Hwy 70), 31, 32, 37A, 37B, 39, 40A, 40B, 41, 42, 43A, 43B, 44A, 44B, 45A, 45B, 45C (including the Kofa NWR), 46A, and 46B (including the Cabeza Prieta NWR) as described in Commission Order 29.
All proceeds from the sale of this tag are used to fund on-the-ground bighorn sheep projects such as translocations, water developments, surveys, habitat enhancements, and highway mitigation research. No administrative expenses incurred by either the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society or the Wild Sheep Foundation come from this sale; it all goes on the mountain. To date, more than $5.6 million have been raised strictly for bighorn sheep management through this auction tag. Without the continued funding provided by these tag funds, Arizona’s bighorn sheep management program would be years behind its current success.
The Arizona Special Big Game License-Tag is valid for any desert bighorn sheep ram in the hunt areas listed above as prescribed in rule R12-4-120, from August 15, 2021–August 14, 2022; that’s a 365-day season. Please contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department (azgfd.com) or the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (adbss.org) for more information.
The 2020 season was a great year for Mexicana bighorn sheep hunters in Arizona with 33 rams scoring more than 168”, 24 of those greater than 170”, and there were 5 rams eclipsing the magical 180” mark. Predictions for the 2021 season are every bit as good. The 2020 Special Tag Holder took a 10 year old ram scoring 183-3/8”. There is no finer opportunity than Arizona for taking an exceptional Mexicana desert bighorn sheep.