Unit 40BWT (Tinajas Altas Mountains, unit 40B)

Unit 40B has three bighorn hunt complexes: the Mohawk–Copper Mountains, the Gila Mountains north of Cipriano Pass, and the Tinajas Altas Mountains south of Cipriano Pass. This is the southern one.

The Tinajas Altas

A narrow, steep range running south toward the border. Tinajas Altas Pass sits at 1,105 feet and Cipriano Pass — the northern boundary of this complex — at 981. Black Gap and East Pass both sit at 1,023 feet, and the Lechuguilla Desert west of the range bottoms out at 874. The name itself refers to the high tanks: natural rock basins that hold water in a range with almost nothing else.

Water, in the driest corner of the state

In a range named for its tanks, the water is the hunt. Those natural basins and the department's wildlife waters are where sheep organise their movements, and locating them is the highest-value scouting you can do. E-scout them before you drive.

The population

Stable at an estimated 250 sheep across 40B over the past two to three years, distributed throughout the ranges with highly variable movements. In a range this narrow, variable movement means a ram can be two miles along the spine from where you left him.

Red-stained horns

Limber bush grows only south of I-8 and west of SR 85 — this exact country — and rams rubbing it pick up a distinctive red staining on the horns. Expect it and don't mistake it for anything else.

What the guide says plainly

Hunting this unit can be quite a challenge. The rugged terrain and arid conditions will challenge even the best of hunters. Knowledge of the area is paramount. Quality optics and patience are needed. None of that is padding on a range this exposed.

Rifle success on these tags runs about 75 percent. In the Tinajas Altas the work is logistics and water before it is anything else.

The range permits

Nearly all of this complex is Barry M. Goldwater Range, where access is subject to military operations and closure and requires an Access Permit through iSportsman at luke.isportsman.net. On BMGR-West, unit 40B is open to hunting under R12-4-304 and R12-4-318 except in Restricted Areas, which are closed to all public recreation. On BMGR-East, only hunters with a current bighorn tag and their named participants may enter designated areas, and only with a Special Use Permit from Luke AFB. Knowing your location and staying clear of unauthorised ground is your responsibility.

Contacts: Luke Air Force Base for BMGR-East on 623-856-7216 or 623-856-1758; Marine Corps Air Station Yuma for BMGR-West on 928-269-3115. Every off-road vehicle on the range must be street legal.

Hunt the water

This range is named for its high tanks and in a desert this dry they are the organising feature. E-scout the natural basins and the wildlife waters first, then plan glassing positions that cover them at first and last light.

Glass from the base, climb carefully

Ten or 20 power from the bottom before you go up. Sheep left with escape room above them will often stand and watch you. On the mountain, stay in the lower two-thirds and stop regularly to sit, glass and listen — on a narrow spine like this, rock-fall carries.

Patience, because they move

Movements across 40B are highly variable. Expect to relocate a ram you had found, and give each face a long look before you move. Quality optics and patience are what the agency asks for and they are the whole method.

Desert survival, near the border

The lowest ground here is under 900 feet and it is as hot and exposed as Arizona gets. Carry all your water and a vehicle reserve, take recovery gear and two spares, and coordinate your entry and departure with range security so somebody knows where you are. The border runs along the southern end of this country — know where it is and keep clear of it.