Unit 41W (Palomas, Tank and Little Horn Mountains)

Three ranges, in descending order of how easy they are to hunt. The three-year average for rams taken in 41W is 155, and the last survey suggested the population is trending down — worth knowing before you set a standard.

The Palomas Mountains

The agency's assessment is honest: occasionally a nice ram can be found here, but finding sheep can be difficult. The west end of the range lies on Yuma Proving Ground with restricted access. To reach the rest, take the Dateland Road / Avenue 64E exit 67 off I-8, 64 miles east of Yuma, north to the railroad tracks, then west on the dirt road along the south side of the tracks about 1.5 miles — you'll see the Camp Horn 81st Infantry Division memorial pyramid. Cross the railroad, go north to the last agricultural road, then west along an irrigation ditch to the last well, where a small road runs north through a boulder field to the Palomas about three miles away.

The Tank Mountains

Most of the bighorn here are on the west half of the range, from White Tanks to the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge boundary — and that ground is on Yuma Proving Ground, where access is restricted and a hunter permit card is required. From exit 67, go north to the tracks, east along the south side about four miles, cross the tracks, then take BLM YEO25, the Palomas–Harquahala Road, north about eight miles and west 9.5 miles to the east end, or north five miles and west 15.5 miles to the south end. Contact Yuma Proving Ground to arrange access into the East Arm, which includes part of the Tank Mountains. Cell coverage is usually available at the YPG access points to call for clearance.

The Little Horn Mountains and Clanton Hills

About 12 miles directly north of the Tanks. The Little Horns are a large mesa complex and most of the bighorn live on top of it, which makes them very hard to see without climbing. A series of deep canyons cuts across the mesa top and those canyons provide good forage and bedding. Sheep also turn up on the low hills immediately north of the main mass, and in the low hills just west of the Hovatter Road along the Kofa refuge boundary — especially around the Sheep Tank Mine.

Getting to the Little Horns

From exit 67, north to the tracks, east about four miles, cross, then BLM YEO25 / Palomas–Harquahala Road north about ten miles to the Clanton Hills. Just east of the Clanton Hills the Palomas–Harquahala Road continues and forms the divide between 41 East and 41 West; at the BLM YE006 junction go west for the Little Horns. Alternatively take the Hovatter Road, exit 53 off I-10, southwest and then south into the range.

Rifle success on these tags runs about 75 percent. In 41W the two obstacles are a restricted-access military range and a mesa you can't glass from the bottom.

Start with Yuma Proving Ground

The best Tank Mountains country and the west Palomas both sit on YPG. You need a hunter permit card, and access into the East Arm has to be arranged with the range. Make those calls weeks out, not the night before. Cell coverage at the boundary access points is usually good enough to call for clearance on the day.

The Little Horns have to be climbed

This is the key tactical fact in 41W. Most of the sheep are on top of the mesa complex, so glassing from the desert floor will not find them. Plan to go up, then work the deep canyons that cut across the top — they hold the forage and the bedding. Budget a full day for a single approach and carry all your water.

Don't skip the low hills

Sheep also use the low hills immediately north of the Little Horns and the hills west of the Hovatter Road near the refuge boundary, particularly around the Sheep Tank Mine. Those are glassable from much closer to a vehicle and worth a morning before you commit to the mesa.

Glass from the base, approach indirectly

Where you can glass from below, do it with 10 or 20 power before you climb — sheep left with escape room above them often stay and watch. Move indirectly rather than straight at them and avoid eye contact. Once you're on the mountain, stay in the lower two-thirds and stop regularly to sit, glass and listen.

Expectations and desert prep

A declining trend and a 155 average means a mature ram here is a genuine prize rather than a given. Carry everything you'll drink, take two spares, and tell somebody your plan — this is empty country with a military range in the middle of it.