Unit 40A (Sand Tank, Table Top and Sauceda Mountains)
Arizona Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
GMU 40A is the desert south of Gila Bend, split into two bighorn hunt areas at the Sauceda Wash. North of it, 40AN takes in the Sand Tank and Table Top Mountains with past rams scoring 150 to over 175. South of it, 40AS covers the Sauceda, Batamote and Sikort Chuapo Mountains with rams from 145 to over 175 — and a pick-up ram from this country was believed to score 202. Much of the unit sits on the Barry M. Goldwater Range, an active tactical Air Force range, so access needs a written permit, a safety video, a hold-harmless document and a phone call to range security to coordinate entry and departure.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 40A
GMU 40A is the desert south of Gila Bend, split into two bighorn hunt areas at the Sauceda Wash. North of it, 40AN takes in the Sand Tank and Table Top Mountains with past rams scoring 150 to over 175. South of it, 40AS covers the Sauceda, Batamote and Sikort Chuapo Mountains with rams from 145 to over 175 — and a pick-up ram from this country was believed to score 202. Much of the unit sits on the Barry M. Goldwater Range, an active tactical Air Force range, so access needs a written permit, a safety video, a hold-harmless document and a phone call to range security to coordinate entry and departure.
Where the rams are in 40A: Sand Tank and Table Top north, Sauceda and Batamote south
Desert bighorn are found throughout unit 40A, and the unit divides into two hunt areas at the Sauceda Wash. The ram quality is the headline: 40AN has produced rams scoring 150 to over 175, 40AS 145 to over 175, and a pick-up ram from this country was believed to score 202 by Boone and Crockett standards — the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society has made replicas of it for banquets and expos.
40A North — Sand Tank and Table Top
Accessible by gates along the south side of Interstate 8 between Gila Bend and Stanfield. The hunt area takes in the Sand Tank and Table Top Mountains. Table Top itself reaches 4,377 feet with the Table Top Mountains at 4,373, the Sand Tank Mountains at 3,986 and Sand Tank Peak at 3,969 — real relief for desert sheep country.
40A South — Sauceda, Batamote and Sikort Chuapo
Accessible by gates along the east side of State Route 85 between Gila Bend and Why. The Sauceda Mountains show at 4,080 feet, with Maricopa Peak at 4,058, Javelina Mountain at 3,857 and Coffeepot Mountain at 3,403. Below them, the Blue Plateau sits at 2,835 feet, the Pozo Redondo Valley at 2,175, Burro Gap at 1,822 and Deadman Gap at 1,258.
The divider
Sauceda Wash separates north from south. Know which side your tag covers and put that line in your GPS — the gates you're allowed through depend on it.
Don't skip the small hills
Mature rams roam in small bachelor groups or alone; the guide tells you not to overlook the small hills next to a large mountain as your hunt approaches. In 40A those outliers sit between the named ranges and get almost no attention.
Rut scouting
Late August into September is the rut and the best time to see several rams in one area. Temperatures top 100°F then. And rams seen in September will not necessarily be there in December.
Unit 40A terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 1,002–2,833 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 1,887 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 1,083.2 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.
Who owns the ground
- BLM — 15%
- Private / Other — 85%
Roughly 15% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 87 tanks
- 2 springs
- 124 stream segments
- 2 lakes
Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Table Top (4,377 ft), Sauceda Mountains (4,080 ft), Maricopa Peak (4,058 ft), Javelina Mountain (3,857 ft)
Holding ground: Blue Plateau (2,835 ft), Pozo Redondo Valley (2,175 ft), Burro Gap (1,822 ft), South Vekol Well
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 40A: get the range permit, e-scout the waters, glass from the base
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — General Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool) | 1 | 114 | 0.9% | — |
| Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool) | 2 | 256 | 0.8% | — |
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 40A bighorn is a once-in-a-lifetime draw. With only ~3 tags over three years against 266 applicants, odds run around 1% per application. Arizona uses a weighted bonus-point system with Hunter Education bonus — 20% of tags go to max-point holders, 80% flow through a random weighted draw. Plan on 18–25+ bonus points before expecting realistic odds. Arizona residents who harvest any bighorn lose eligibility for future bighorn applications.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Unit 40A a wilderness-only bighorn hunt?
When is the Kofa bighorn season?
Do I need a guide for a Kofa bighorn tag?
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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 Desert Bighorn Management — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Kofa NWR desert bighorn source herd, Castle Dome Mountains habitat, Historical transplant program, Once-in-a-lifetime tag · accessed 2026-04-17
- AZGFD Draw Portal — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 40A bighorn draw odds, Bonus point weighting, Tag caps · accessed 2026-04-17
- Kofa National Wildlife Refuge — US Fish and Wildlife Service · supports: Refuge access and regulations, Wilderness areas, Water development projects · accessed 2026-04-17