Nevada Bighorn Sheep

Nevada has three different species of sheep – Rocky Mountain bighorn, Desert bighorn, and California bighorn. Non-residents can apply for both Desert bighorn and California bighorn this year. Residents can apply for all three species. Again for 2025, there will not be a non-resident Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep tag available.

Non-residents can apply for a Desert bighorn ram tag, a California bighorn ram tag, and a Desert bighorn ewe tag. You can potentially draw both ram tags in the same year. You are only able to draw one Desert bighorn sheep tag per year, but the ram tags are drawn before the ewe tags. If you are on the waiting period from drawing a ram tag, apply for a ewe tag. See the “Opportunity Hunts” section for more information on the non-resident Desert bighorn sheep ewe tags. Any hunter who draws a bighorn sheep tag is required to attend a mandatory bighorn sheep seminar, which is available online.

If you are a Nevada resident and want to talk more about the resident-only units for Desert bighorn, California bighorn, or Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, give us a call.

The drought has been tough on some of the sheep in Southern Nevada. Due to multiple years of drought and poor feed, the rams have not put on the horn growth they would have in normal moisture years. This can really be seen in a lot of southern units and especially in units 268 and 267. There is still an outside chance for 160”+ rams in units 268 and 267, but both have been trending down in ram horn size.

Non-residents will have 13 rifle Desert bighorn ram hunts to choose from this year. Nevada has a wide array of options for Desert bighorn hunts. Some units offer typical Desert sheep habitat, and in other units, you can be chasing rams at 10,000 feet in elevation. Take your time looking over all the available information for the five units you want to apply for. If you are looking for a book ram, you should stick with our top picks. It’s important to apply for units that match up with not only your size expectations but also with your physical capabilities. Nevada is a state that has something for everyone.

A lot of units in Nevada can produce a 168” ram, and you should stick to units 205, 243, 253, and 263 if you are a non-resident looking for a giant ram. If you are a resident, you can also add units 202, 241, 244, 254, and 271 to the list. There were quite a few 168” and 170” net rams every year.

Another opportunity for non-residents is the Desert sheep ewe hunt. Nevada is going to give non-residents tags in unit 268. See the "Opportunity Hunts" section for more information on the ewe hunts.

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