Arizona Bighorn Sheep

Unit 46AE (Cabeza Prieta east, unit 46A)

Arizona Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep

46AE is the eastern bighorn hunt area within GMU 46A — the Cabeza Prieta country south of Ajo in Pima County, built around the Agua Dulce, Growler, Childs and Granite Mountains. AZGFD publishes one guide for the parent unit rather than for each half, so the area detail below is the 46A material and the east/west split comes from your tag's own hunt-area description. Rams here have scored 145 to 180 and above and carry a local reputation for red-stained horns. Most of the country is Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and Barry M. Goldwater Range: four-wheel drive is required, a BMGR permit is required, and the refuge is managed primarily as wilderness.

View Draw Odds Arizona Hunting Guide

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Public Land

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Bighorn Sheep guide

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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 46AE

Where the rams are in 46A East: the Growlers, Childs and the ranges toward Ajo

One honest point of order. AZGFD publishes a single unit guide for GMU 46A and does not split its area notes between the east and west halves. So read the 46A material below alongside your tag's own hunt-area description, and load that boundary into your GPS before you glass anything.

The four ranges the agency names

Desert bighorn are found throughout the Agua Dulce, Growler, Childs and Granite Mountains. On the eastern side of the unit that puts Growler Peak at 3,013 feet and Childs Mountain at 2,852 in play, with the Growler Mountains at 2,073 and Scarface Mountain at 2,474, and the Granite Mountains at 2,346.

Rams, and what they've scored

Harvested rams in 46A have gone from 145 to over 180. The sheep from this country are known for red-stained horns and for mass, which is part of why the tag is drawn so rarely.

Look at the little hills

Mature rams roam in small bachelor groups or alone, and the guide's instruction is explicit: don't overlook the small hills next to a big mountain as your hunt approaches. Temporal Pass at 1,974 feet, Copper Canyon at 1,729, Agua Dulce Pass at 1,639 and Charlie Bell Pass at 1,455 are the crossings between ranges.

Scout in the rut, hunt where they are later

Late August into September is the rut and the best chance to see several rams in a small area. But the rams you see then will not necessarily be there in December. Use that window to learn the country and the ram quality, not to pick a hillside.

Refuge and range permits

Call the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge on 520-387-6483 — the office is at 1611 N. Second Avenue, Ajo, 40 miles south of Gila Bend on SR 85 — and they'll send a welcome packet with the rules. Four-wheel drive is required, the refuge is primarily wilderness, and a Barry M. Goldwater Range permit is required because of military overflights.

Unit 46AE terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Growler Peak (3,013 ft), Childs Mountain (2,852 ft), Agua Dulce Mountains (2,763 ft)

Holding ground: Temporal Pass (1,974 ft), Copper Canyon (1,729 ft), Corner Well, Little Tule Well, Jacks Well

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

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How to hunt 46A East: glass from the base, approach as if distracted, listen for rock-fall

Rifle success on these tags runs about 75 percent. The method the agency lays out for unit 46 is specific and it works; follow it rather than improvising.

Glass from the bottom of the mountain

Use at least 10 or 20 power glass from the base before you climb. That leaves sheep their escape room, and sheep that are present will often stay put and watch you. Climbing straight at them usually pushes them out before you ever see them.

The sideways approach

Make your approach indirect — the guide's image is of someone wandering about looking for lost keys — and avoid eye contact. Sheep are curious and will often let you come much closer than you expect. Practise it while scouting so it feels natural on the day.

Lower two-thirds, then sit and listen

On the mountain, stay within the lower two-thirds. Leaving the top third above them is what keeps sheep calm. Stop often, sit, and listen while you glass — the first sign of sheep in this country is usually the sound of rock coming loose.

Bring eyes

Round up friends to scout before the season. More people glassing finds more sheep, and by late November you want a ram in mind rather than a hillside to try.

Desert survival, and the border

Scouting temperatures top 100°F in monsoon season — dehydration and flooded washes both end trips. Carry all your water; there are nine tanks and one spring across the unit. El Camino del Diablo is the main graded route. And the guide is plain that migrant and trafficking traffic is a reality: use judgement about where you hunt and camp, and consider horses for the distances involved.

Arizona rules that decide your day

Summarised from AZGFD regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken only during daylight hours — from sunrise to sunset. Check the sunrise and sunset times for your unit, not for Phoenix.

Motorized retrieval

Arizona permits motorized big-game retrieval only where the unit's travel-management decision allows it, and in several units only for elk. Where it is allowed it means one vehicle, one trip, within one mile of a road shown open on the Motor Vehicle Use Map — never inside a quiet area, a wilderness or a closed area. Pull the MVUM for your ranger district and confirm before you shoot somewhere you cannot carry an animal out of.

Tagging

Sign your tag before you go afield and attach it to the animal immediately after the kill. Hunters aged 10–13 must carry their Hunter Education card with the licence and tag.

Leaving meat

Leaving edible meat in the field is illegal. Edible meat means the four quarters and the loins at a minimum.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within a quarter mile of an occupied farmhouse, cabin, lodge or building without the owner's permission. That rules out shooting toward most lakeside cabin tracts.
Campsites and developed areas — Forest Service rules prohibit discharging a firearm within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area.
Roads and water — No shooting from a vehicle, and no shooting on, across or into a road. No shooting across a body of water adjacent to a Forest road.

Bighorn Sheep: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.

Shots to refuse

Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.

Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Bighorn Sheep Success Rates

Rifle75%

Arizona bighorn sheep hunts carry high success rates — typically 80–95% — because of the once-in-a-lifetime tag structure, extended seasons, and dedicated hunters. Unit 46AE's small tag count means data is limited, but the Peloncillo bighorn herd produces legal rams annually and AZGFD's management ensures quality animals are available each draw year.

Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — General Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	1	82	1.2%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool)	0	224	0.9%	—

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 Engine

Unit 46AE is a maximum-effort Arizona bighorn draw. With 1–2 tags issued per year against 250–350 applicants, only hunters at or near the top of the bonus-point bank realistically draw. Arizona's weighted bonus-point system provides meaningful cumulative advantage — each point enters your name once more in the draw. Build points, apply consistently, and plan this as a 20+ year pursuit unless you get fortunate in the random portion of the draw.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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RV Sites

No developed RV sites in the Peloncillos. Willcox (45 min NW) and Lordsburg, NM (30 min NE) are the nearest full-service options.

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Camp Sites

Dispersed BLM camping along the access roads into the Peloncillos. No water available — pack everything in.

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Trailer Access

Rough BLM two-track leading into the range. Small trailers with high clearance only on main access roads. Most hunters stage from Willcox or Lordsburg.

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Water

None reliable in the field. Fill completely in Willcox or Lordsburg before entering the range.

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Road Conditions

BLM gravel and unmaintained two-track. High-clearance 4WD required beyond the main road. Roads may wash out seasonally.

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Terrain Difficulty

Extreme. Steep volcanic rock, abundant cactus, loose shale, and no trails. Ankle injuries are common. This is among the most demanding terrain in Arizona.

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Hunting Pressure

Essentially none. 1–2 tags per year and extreme remoteness result in near-zero other hunter presence.

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Weather

November–January bighorn season: highs 50–65°F, lows 25–40°F. Frost common overnight. Wind can be severe on ridgelines. Plan for cold, dry conditions.

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Cell Service

None in the range interior. Limited coverage near I-10 corridor at Willcox and Lordsburg.

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Nearest Town

Willcox, AZ (fuel, groceries, lodging). Lordsburg, NM (fuel, limited services).

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many bighorn sheep tags are issued in Arizona Unit 46AE?

AZGFD typically issues 1–2 desert bighorn sheep tags in Unit 46AE per year. The exact number varies by herd monitoring and management objectives. Check the current AZGFD draw portal for the most recent tag allocation.

Is Unit 46AE a once-in-a-lifetime tag?

Yes. All Arizona desert bighorn sheep tags are once-in-a-lifetime. A hunter who draws any bighorn tag — in 46AE or any other unit — is ineligible to apply for or draw a bighorn sheep tag again in Arizona.

How many bonus points do I need to draw Unit 46AE bighorn in Arizona?

Unit 46AE is effectively a max-point draw. Most successful applicants are near or at the top of the bonus-point pool, which may represent 20+ years of consistent applications. A small percentage of tags go through the random draw each year, giving any applicant a small but real annual chance.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-18.

AZGFD Desert Bighorn Sheep Management — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Bighorn transplant history in Unit 46AE, Once-in-a-lifetime tag policy, Desert bighorn population status in SE Arizona · accessed 2026-04-18
AZGFD Draw Portal — Hunt Drawing Information — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 46AE bighorn draw odds, Historical applicant counts, Weighted bonus-point system · accessed 2026-04-18
BLM Safford Field Office — Peloncillo Mountains — Bureau of Land Management · supports: BLM land access in Peloncillo Range, Road and travel management · accessed 2026-04-18