Henry Mountains desert bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
Henry Mountains is a 1,299-square-mile once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep unit in DWR's Southeastern Region of Utah. Once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunters here took 2 rams on 3 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 88.6% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (656,271 acres), measured from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: DWR's 2026 guidebook. Harvest: DWR's reports, 2013 to 2025. Draw: DWR's 2024 and 2025 results. Land: UGRC, 2023.
National forestBLMState trust land (SITLA)National park or monument (NPS, no hunting)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)Henry MountainsNeighboring desert bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southeastern Region (Price office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 831,486 acres (1,299 square miles) |
| Public land | 88.6% (736,830 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 1 (DWR guidebook) |
| Rams harvested, 2025 | 2 on 3 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 67 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 392 residents, 0 nonresidents (3 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | Hanksville and Torrey |
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on Henry Mountains?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunt on this unit, shown here with the 2025 draw for the same hunt number where DWR used it.
| Hunt number | Hunt | 2026 season | 2025 first-choice applicants (residents) | 2025 permits drawn (residents) | 2025 first-choice applicants (nonresidents) | 2025 permits drawn (nonresidents) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6600 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Nov. 10 | 392 | 3 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, page 66; boundaries from DWR Hunt Planner hunt table. DWR can change a season during the year: check the Utah Hunt Planner before you go.
How many rams are taken on Henry Mountains each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Henry Mountains' once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts in 13 years from 2013 to 2025. In 2025, 3 hunters afield took 2 rams, 67 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 2 from 2 hunters on 2 permits.
| Year | Hunt | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | DS6600 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 22.7 | 2.3 |
| 2024 | DS6600 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 12.5 | 4 |
| 2023 | DS6600 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50% | 9.5 | 3 |
| 2022 | DS6600 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 75% | 6.5 | 4.5 |
| 2021 | DS6600 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 60% | 9 | 4.5 |
| 2020 | DS6600 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 80% | 20.8 | 4.4 |
| 2019 | DS6600 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% | 13 | 5 |
| 2018 | DS6600 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 75% | 18.8 | 4.5 |
| 2017 | DS6600 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% | 18.5 | 4.3 |
| 2016 | DS6600 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | 25.3 | 2.3 |
| 2015 | DS6600 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 10.3 | 3.7 |
| 2014 | DS6600 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 10 | |
| 2013 | DS6600 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 13.5 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2013 to 2025, every once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunt DWR printed for this unit's name each year. CWMU, landowner, conservation and sportsman permits are not included. Harvest per 100 hunters is worked out from DWR's own two numbers.
Each 2025 hunt on Henry Mountains
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6600 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 22.7 | 2.3 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Henry Mountains by weapon, year by year
Rams harvested of permits issued, by weapon, for each year DWR reported since 2018:
| Weapon | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle (any legal weapon) | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 4 | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 4 of 4 | 3 of 4 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2018 to 2025. An empty cell means DWR printed no hunt of that kind on this unit that year.
How many hunters apply for Henry Mountains desert bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 392 residents put a Henry Mountains desert bighorn sheep hunt first and 3 drew a permit, 0.8% of them; no nonresident applied first choice. In 2024, 367 residents applied first choice and 2 drew. Limited-entry and once-in-a-lifetime permits are drawn on bonus points: DWR reserves half of each hunt's permits for the applicants with the most points and draws the rest at random (Utah Admin. Rule R657-62-8).
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6600 | Desert bighorn sheep | 392 | 3 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6600 | 25 to 27 | 12 |
From DWR's 2025 drawing results, which list each point level's permits from the reserved half (most points first) and from the random half. A blank cell means no permit of that kind went to the group.
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6600 | Desert bighorn sheep | 367 | 2 |
Source: DWR 2025 drawing results and DWR 2024 drawing results, first-choice applications only, as DWR reports them; DWR leaves out second to fifth choices. The share who drew in a past year is not a forecast for the next draw. Deadlines and fees: Utah draw deadlines and fees.
How much of Henry Mountains is public land?
88.6% of the Henry Mountains desert bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting: 736,830 of 831,486 acres, the largest share BLM (656,271 acres). DWR uses the same boundary for its limited-entry deer hunts; the land table by manager, the access notes and DWR's boundary description are on the Henry Mountains limited-entry deer page.
Measured by FilledTag inside DWR's 2026 boundary from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
What other hunts share the Henry Mountains desert bighorn sheep unit's ground?
Utah draws a separate map of units for each species and hunt type. These units cover part of the same ground, measured from DWR's 2026 boundaries:
| Unit | Hunt type | Share of Henry Mountains it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Henry Mountains | limited-entry deer | 100% |
| Henry Mountains | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| San Rafael, Desert | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 100% |
| Henry Mountains | once-in-a-lifetime bison | 98% |
Which desert bighorn sheep units border or overlap Henry Mountains?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Rams harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escalante, East | 745 | 38.2% | 5 (2025) |
| San Juan, San Juan River | 750 | 66.5% | 2 (2025) |
| San Juan, South | 812 | 78.3% | 2 (2025) |
| San Rafael, Dirty Devil | 2,048 | 77.7% | 8 (2025) |
| San Rafael, South | 1,357 | 97.5% | 11 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on Henry Mountains?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunt on Henry Mountains: Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Nov. 10 (DS6600).
How many rams were harvested on Henry Mountains in 2025?
2, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 3 hunters afield on 3 permits, 67 rams for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 2.
How many people apply for Henry Mountains desert bighorn sheep permits?
392 residents and 0 nonresidents made a Henry Mountains hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 3 residents and 0 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, permits, hunters, days and satisfaction: DWR harvest reports, 2013 to 2025 (2025 preliminary).
- 2026 hunts and season dates: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook; boundary names: DWR Hunt Planner hunt table.
- Applicants and permits drawn: DWR drawing results, 2024 and 2025.
- Unit boundary: DWR 2026 hunt unit boundaries. Public land: UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023). WMAs: DWR public access properties (WMAs). Walk-In Access: DWR Walk-In Access properties (December 17, 2025).
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Numbers are copied from DWR and the State of Utah, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Utah hunting units Southeastern Region Utah draw deadlines San Juan, San Juan River San Juan, South San Rafael, Dirty Devil San Rafael, South