2022 Best Sheep Units

The Best Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Units (2022)

The Best AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunts

Arizona Mexicana Desert Sheep Units:

Unit 24BS is consistently producing the big old rams & the 2021 season average score was 179″ & 11 years old.  2 tags will be offered for the 2022 season.  This unit is basically only avaible to MAX bonus point holders & you will WASTE an application if you apply for this tag with sub-max points.

Unit 22S is probably the most well known for producing giant desert rams but it’s a very popular choice for all the right reasons.   Last season the average score was 179″ & 9.5 years old.  2 tags will be offered for the 2022 season. This unit is basically only avaible to MAX bonus point holders & you will WASTE an application if you apply for this tag with sub-max points.

Unit 40B Gila Mountains produced a very large ram last year & some good rams that made it thru.  Last season the average score was 164″ & 7.5 years old.  4 tags will be offered for the 2022 season, so this is a good unit for non-residents looking to draw a sheep tag in Arizona.

Unit 40B Tinajtas Altas Mountains has some good genetics & older rams in the unit.  The 2021 season yield was an average score of 163″ at 9.5 years of age.   2 tags are being offered for the 2022 sheep season, so hunting pressure won’t be an issue.

Honarable Mentions: 

Unit 24BN, Unit 28, Unit 41E, Unit 41W, Unit 44BN 

 

2022 Best Sheep Units

Arizona Nelsoni Desert Sheep Units:

Unit 16A/18B is at the top of the list for these units right now.  Last season the average score was 169″ & 8 years old.  There will be 2 tags offered for the 2022 season.

Unit 12BE has snuck up on everyone as a new unit that produced a couple big rams last year.  The age class is still of concern & the tag numbers have increased for the 2022 season. Last season the average score was 164″ on the first hunt & 172″ on the second with a 6.7 age average. There are two hunts with the first having 3 permits & the second having 4 permits, so this is a good non-resident choice for a chance at a tag.

Unit 15D has dropped off dramatically from the glory years.  Last season the unit was split but due to a severly decreased population in older age class rams the hunt is now unit wide with only 4 tags being offered.  The average score was 159.5″ & average age was 7.7 for the 2021 season.  FYI-this unit typically has the MOST applications for any Arizona sheep unit so it’s extremely hard to draw.

Unit 16AN is a very tough hunt but still has potential to produce book rams.   The population seems to be on a downward trend because of drought & predation.   Last season’s numbers were an average score of 151″ & average age was 6.5 years old.  There are once again 2 tags for this unit but beware you may not see many sheep.

Honarble Mention:

Unit 13BN & Unit 15C

Applying for an Arizona Desert Bighorn hunt?

Keep in mind a number of factors go into our top choices for ranking these Arizona Bighorn Sheep Units/Hunts.  If you are wanting to go on a desert bighorn sheep hunt with us PLEASE contact us prior to applying.

Joe's AZ Raffle Ram

2019 Arizona Raffle Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt

The Arizona Big Game Super Raffle provides an awesome opportunity for anyone to win a big game hunt that is structured like the Governors’ (aka Auction) tags.  Last year the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep raffle funds raised $167,575 after 6,703 tickets were sold!

The lucky winner of the 2019 Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Raffle tag was Joe Schoendorf III.   Joe called us up & booked his hunt with us after hearing the exciting news.  We put in tons of scouting & hunting time while searching over MULTIPLE units for Joe’s Raffle ram before finally finding the one!   

Watch Joe’s Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt: