Bighorn Sheep · State-by-state
Bighorn Sheep hunting regulations.
Bighorn sheep occupy the rocky, broken alpine country of the Western mountains — the Rockies, the Sierra Nevada, and the desert ranges of the Southwest. Three subspecies exist: Rocky Mountain, California, and desert bighorn. Mature rams weigh 200-300 pounds and carry massive curling horns that hunters age by counting growth rings. Populations crashed in the 1800s and 1900s from market hunting and disease but have recovered significantly through translocation work.
A bighorn sheep tag is one of the most coveted draws in North American hunting — most states see odds well below 1% for non-residents. Sheep hunting is physically punishing alpine work, often weeks of glassing across drainages from rocky vantage points. A successful tag-holder is one of a small fraternity of hunters each year. Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah all hold sheep populations with limited-draw seasons.
State-by-state legal status
50 states + DC
Tap a state to view bighorn sheep regulations and other species huntable there. Bield Hunt does not yet publish specific season dates or bag limits — verify with your state F&W agency before hunting.
- AlaskaDraw / limited entry
- ArizonaDraw / limited entry
- CaliforniaDraw / limited entry
- ColoradoDraw / limited entry
- IdahoDraw / limited entry
- MontanaDraw / limited entry
- NebraskaDraw / limited entry
- NevadaDraw / limited entry
- New MexicoDraw / limited entry
- North DakotaDraw / limited entry
- OregonDraw / limited entry
- South DakotaDraw / limited entry
- TexasDraw / limited entry
- UtahDraw / limited entry
- WashingtonDraw / limited entry
- WyomingDraw / limited entry
- AlabamaNot huntable
- ArkansasNot huntable
- ConnecticutNot huntable
- DelawareNot huntable
- FloridaNot huntable
- GeorgiaNot huntable
- HawaiiNot huntable
- IllinoisNot huntable
- IndianaNot huntable
- IowaNot huntable
- KansasNot huntable
- KentuckyNot huntable
- LouisianaNot huntable
- MaineNot huntable
- MarylandNot huntable
- MassachusettsNot huntable
- MichiganNot huntable
- MinnesotaNot huntable
- MississippiNot huntable
- MissouriNot huntable
- New HampshireNot huntable
- New JerseyNot huntable
- New YorkNot huntable
- North CarolinaNot huntable
- OhioNot huntable
- OklahomaNot huntable
- PennsylvaniaNot huntable
- Rhode IslandNot huntable
- South CarolinaNot huntable
- TennesseeNot huntable
- VermontNot huntable
- VirginiaNot huntable
- West VirginiaNot huntable
- WisconsinNot huntable
Status legend
- YGeneral season
- DDraw / limited entry
- PPrivate land / specific zones
- SSpecial permit / depredation
- RRestricted (subspecies / units)
- -Not huntable
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