Unit 42/44A (Big Horn and Belmont Mountains)
Arizona Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
The 42 / 44A South bighorn hunt covers the Big Horn Mountains, the Belmont Mountains and Sugarloaf Mountain west of Phoenix — country where sheep were rebuilt from scratch. AZGFD transplanted animals here in 2005, 2007 and 2010, with the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society funding water developments and management projects, and the growth was enough to reestablish a hunt in 2013. Hunters have since taken several rams in the 170-point range. The majority of the sheep are in the Big Horn Mountains, which also hold the past transplants and both natural and man-made water. Two BLM wilderness areas, Hummingbird Springs and Big Horn Mountains, cover much of the sheep habitat and limit access inside their boundaries.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 42/44A
The 42 / 44A South bighorn hunt covers the Big Horn Mountains, the Belmont Mountains and Sugarloaf Mountain west of Phoenix — country where sheep were rebuilt from scratch. AZGFD transplanted animals here in 2005, 2007 and 2010, with the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society funding water developments and management projects, and the growth was enough to reestablish a hunt in 2013. Hunters have since taken several rams in the 170-point range. The majority of the sheep are in the Big Horn Mountains, which also hold the past transplants and both natural and man-made water. Two BLM wilderness areas, Hummingbird Springs and Big Horn Mountains, cover much of the sheep habitat and limit access inside their boundaries.
Where the rams are: the Big Horn Mountains first, then the Belmonts and Sugarloaf
This hunt exists because of a rebuild. Transplants in 2005, 2007 and 2010, backed by the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society's water developments and project funding, grew the herd to the point that a hunt was reestablished in 2013. Hunters have taken several rams in the 170-point range since.
The Big Horn Mountains hold most of them
The Big Horns contain the majority of the bighorn in this hunt. They received the transplants, and they have water sheep can use — both natural sources and man-made developments. That combination is why the herd concentrated there, and it's where to start.
Two wilderness areas inside the sheep habitat
The Hummingbird Springs Wilderness and the Big Horn Mountains Wilderness both sit within the bighorn range, and access inside their boundaries is limited — no motorized travel, including for retrieving an animal. Plan the pack-out before the shot.
The Belmont Mountains and Sugarloaf
Both hold bighorn, and the agency explains why they hold fewer: these ranges have less available water, so they carry fewer sheep. That makes them the quieter option rather than the better one — useful if the Big Horns are crowded or if you want a specific ram you've located there.
Water is the organising feature
Read the pattern in the agency's own reasoning. The Big Horns have water and the sheep; the Belmonts and Sugarloaf have less water and fewer sheep. In desert this dry, developed and natural waters are both the habitat and your best glassing targets. Find them before you leave home.
A note on the neighbouring hunt area
Unit 44A's south subunit is combined with unit 42 for the bighorn hunt, which is why this page covers both. The Harquahala Wilderness, once part of 44A, now falls in the 42 bighorn hunt area. Check your tag's own area description against a current map.
Unit 42/44A terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up · figures are for GMU 42
The lay of it
- 1,218–3,030 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 1,953 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 1,486.5 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
- 313 tanks
- 646 stream segments
- 32 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: Harquahala Mountain (5,676 ft), Smith Peak (5,233 ft), Harcuvar Peak (4,583 ft), E C P Peak (4,579 ft)
Holding ground: Sunset Pass (3,857 ft), Aso Pass (2,938 ft), Merritt Pass (2,773 ft), Round Tank 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 it: find the water, glass from below, and walk into the wilderness
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — General Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool) | 2 | 398 | 0.5% | — |
| Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool) | 2 | 523 | 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 42/44A is a once-in-a-lifetime bighorn draw. With only ~4 tags over three years and 939 applicants, odds per applicant run about 0.4%. Arizona's weighted bonus-point system sends 20% of tags to max-point holders first, 80% via random weighted draw. Plan on 15–25+ bonus points for realistic competitiveness.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hunt within Cibola NWR?
How does 42/44A compare to 41E/41W for bighorn?
What's the best time of year to scout Unit 42/44A?
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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 Sheep Management — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: 42/44A combined bighorn hunt, Trigo and Chocolate Mountains, Lower Colorado River corridor, Once-in-a-lifetime tag · accessed 2026-04-17
- AZGFD Draw Portal — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: 42/44A bighorn draw odds, Tag allocation, Bonus point rules · accessed 2026-04-17
- BLM Yuma Field Office — Bureau of Land Management · supports: Trigo Mountains Wilderness, Cibola/Imperial NWR perimeter, Travel management · accessed 2026-04-17
- Cibola National Wildlife Refuge — US Fish and Wildlife Service · supports: NWR hunting regulations, Access points, Special rules · accessed 2026-04-17