Unit 24BN (Superstition Mountains and Four Peaks country)
Arizona Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
GMU 24BN is the northern half of unit 24B — the Superstition Mountains, Goldfield Mountains and the Salt River lakes country east of Phoenix, on the Tonto National Forest. Desert bighorn were gone from these ranges by the turn of the last century and came back through a restoration programme that ran from the early 1980s to 2002, when the first modern sheep hunt was offered here. AZGFD manages the herd for a harvest of 15 to 25 percent of estimated Class III and IV rams, so tags are a very limited draw. The ground is steep, close to a metropolitan area, and in places reachable only by boat.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 24BN
GMU 24BN is the northern half of unit 24B — the Superstition Mountains, Goldfield Mountains and the Salt River lakes country east of Phoenix, on the Tonto National Forest. Desert bighorn were gone from these ranges by the turn of the last century and came back through a restoration programme that ran from the early 1980s to 2002, when the first modern sheep hunt was offered here. AZGFD manages the herd for a harvest of 15 to 25 percent of estimated Class III and IV rams, so tags are a very limited draw. The ground is steep, close to a metropolitan area, and in places reachable only by boat.
Where the rams are in 24B North: Fish Creek, Canyon Lake and Hewitt Ridge
These sheep are a restoration success story with a date attached. Bighorn had disappeared from the ranges around Phoenix by about 1900. Reintroduction began in the early 1980s, finished in 2002, and the first hunt followed. AZGFD now sees sheep regularly in a defined set of places, and that list is your starting map.
The agency's core areas
Fish Creek Canyon and Horse Mesa, Canyon Lake, Superstition Mountain itself, Hewitt and Millsite Canyons, the State Trust land around Tule and Whitlow Canyons, Coffee Flat Mountain, and the Goldfield Mountains. Of those the guide singles out three for access.
Fish Creek Hill — glass it from the road
The country around the top of Fish Creek Hill is excellent sheep habitat, and a herd is usually present. You can often glass them from the viewpoint before the road drops into the canyon. That makes it the one place in this unit where a scouting trip costs you an afternoon instead of a day, and it's where to start if you've just drawn the tag.
Hewitt Canyon and Coffee Flat
Access to Hewitt Canyon runs along FR 172. Hewitt Ridge and Coffee Flat, both west of that road, are core areas for 24B's bighorn. Hewitt Ridge shows at 4,264 feet on our terrain layer. Around it the unit's relief gives you plenty to work with: Mound Mountain at 6,241 feet, White Mountain at 6,077, Iron Mountain at 6,040, Pinto Peak at 5,968, Webster Mountain at 5,775, Two Bar Mountain at 5,374 and Castle Dome at 5,273, with Two Bar Ridge, Sawtooth Ridge and Silverado Ridge stepping down between them.
Canyon Lake, and the boat
Access to much of the lake country is by boat only. Take US 60 east to Apache Junction, north on Idaho Road, then east on State Route 88 to Canyon Lake and Apache Lake. Boats rent at both. The guide adds a scouting tip that's hard to improve on: early July from a boat on Canyon Lake is the best time to see these sheep, rams included, which makes it the best preseason reconnaissance available if you've drawn.
The saddles and basins between
Sheep use low crossings the same way they do anywhere. Inside the unit, Windy Pass at 4,919 feet, Reavis Gap at 4,825, Plow Saddle at 4,780 and Tortilla Pass at 4,480 are the named ones, with Horse Basin, Bull Basin, Granite Basin and Myberg Basin below them. Springs are unusually numerous for desert sheep country — Horrell, Mountain, Musk Hog, Brushy, Flat Rock, Case Knife, Oak, Pinto, Ninetysix and Paradise Springs all sit inside the boundary.
Unit 24BN terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Mound Mountain (6,241 ft), White Mountain (6,077 ft), Iron Mountain (6,040 ft), Webster Mountain (5,775 ft)
Holding ground: Juniper Flat (5,329 ft), Windy Pass (4,919 ft), Log Trough Canyon (4,902 ft), Horrell Spring, Mountain Spring
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
How to hunt 24B North: optics, verticality, and a plan for getting a ram off a cliff
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — General Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool) | 2 | 652 | 0.2% | — |
| Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool) | 1 | 476 | 0.2% | — |
Data from 2023 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.
Open in Draw Odds EngineUnit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for a desert bighorn sheep tag in GMU 24BN?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.
- AZGFD 2026 Bighorn Sheep Hunt Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 24BN bighorn season, Tag allocation, Legal weapon types · accessed 2026-04-17
- AZGFD Draw Portal — Hunt Drawing Information — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Bonus point draw, Historical tag counts for 24BN · accessed 2026-04-17
- AZGFD Desert Bighorn Sheep — Species Management — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Harcuvar Mountains bighorn management, Population monitoring, Bighorn Sheep Management Areas · accessed 2026-04-17