Unit 43B (Yuma Proving Ground and the Trigo Mountains)
Arizona Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
GMU 43B is the lower Colorado River country north of Yuma — the Trigo and Chocolate Mountains, the Imperial Hills and the Laguna Mountains, in Yuma and La Paz counties, running from 155 to about 2,010 feet. AZGFD calls the desert bighorn population here one of the most stable in the state, helped by numerous sheep water developments, and says hunters continue to experience near 100 percent success. Most of the sheep habitat sits on the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, so a tag comes with a mandatory safety briefing and a YPG permit — needed for scouting as well as for the hunt, and for everyone helping you, not just the tag holder.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 43B
GMU 43B is the lower Colorado River country north of Yuma — the Trigo and Chocolate Mountains, the Imperial Hills and the Laguna Mountains, in Yuma and La Paz counties, running from 155 to about 2,010 feet. AZGFD calls the desert bighorn population here one of the most stable in the state, helped by numerous sheep water developments, and says hunters continue to experience near 100 percent success. Most of the sheep habitat sits on the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, so a tag comes with a mandatory safety briefing and a YPG permit — needed for scouting as well as for the hunt, and for everyone helping you, not just the tag holder.
Where the sheep are: Trigo Mountains, Chocolates, Imperial Hills and Laguna Mountains
Trigo Mountains and Mohave Peak
This is where we'd start. AZGFD says most of the unit's sheep habitat sits on the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, and the guide points hunters south of Cibola Lake Road to the north end of the Trigo range and Mohave Peak. Military roads and wash bottoms reach them. Which of those routes you can drive is YPG's call, not ours.
For the south end and interior of the Trigos, the guide gives the Red Cloud Mine Road. Follow the signs for the Imperial Refuge, then continue past the refuge headquarters. The road runs several miles through the mountains and drops into Clip Wash. The northwest end of the range is reached heading south from the town of Cibola. Imperial Refuge, YPG and a BLM wilderness all meet around Red Cloud, so call each agency about special rules.
Chocolate Mountains off Highway 95
Highway 95 is the unit's eastern boundary, and the east side of the Chocolate Mountains runs parallel to it, south to north. It's the easiest country to reach, and the pavement helps. The guide is blunt that very little sheep habitat can be reached directly by vehicle. Roads get you close. Your boots do the rest.
Imperial Hills and Laguna Mountains
The Imperial Hills are a strip of low hills. They start in the south near Hidden Shores by Imperial Dam and end in the north near Fisher's Landing by Martinez Lake. AZGFD calls the sheep population there very stable, and you can reach it by land or by boat.
The Laguna Mountains hold a healthy population too. They're near Mittry Lake, northeast of Yuma, on a mix of BLM and YPG ground. Our terrain data lists the Laguna summit at 1,045 feet and Boot Peak at 1,044. Nothing here is high. The unit as a whole runs from 155 to 2,010 feet.
The river approach
For the far west side, the guide suggests a boat up the Colorado. Launches are at Hidden Shores, Martinez Lake and Meer's Point on Imperial National Wildlife Refuge. Tie up in the backwaters and walk. The first half mile to 2 miles is refuge, then roughly 5 miles of BLM, then YPG.
What the packet doesn't tell us
The guide doesn't say where sheep sit early versus late season, and it names no country to skip. We won't make that up. It does tell us the land split is 15% BLM, 8% State Trust and 77% private/other. That fits the guide's point that most habitat is Army ground. Plan around permits, not public-land boundaries.
Unit 43B terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 155–2,010 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 811 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 859.6 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.
Who owns the ground
- BLM — 15%
- State Trust — 8%
- Private / Other — 77%
Roughly 23% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 170 tanks
- 57 stream segments
- 43 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: Sugarloaf (658 ft)
Holding ground: Three Point Bend (380 ft), North Gila Valley (126 ft), South Gila Valley (122 ft)
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
Hunting 43B: YPG permits, long glassing and walking in from the road
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — General Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool) | 4 | 429 | 0.7% | — |
| Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool) | 4 | 524 | 0.6% | — |
| Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool) | 4 | 373 | 1.1% | — |
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 rare is a desert bighorn sheep tag in GMU 43B?
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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 43B 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, Applicant data · accessed 2026-04-17
- AZGFD Desert Bighorn Sheep — Species Management — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Herd management overview, Population monitoring, Transplant history · accessed 2026-04-17