Kaiparowits (East) desert bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
Kaiparowits, East is a 1,001-square-mile once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep unit in DWR's Southern Region of Utah. Once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunters here took 13 rams on 13 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 63.1% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (401,265 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)DWR wildlife landNational park or monument (NPS, no hunting)Tribal land (tribe's rules)State park (park rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)Other public land (highways, other state land)Kaiparowits, EastNeighboring desert bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southern Region (Cedar City office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 640,351 acres (1,001 square miles) |
| Public land | 63.1% (403,913 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 1 (DWR guidebook) |
| Rams harvested, 2025 | 13 on 13 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 100 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 1,130 residents, 4,537 nonresidents (11 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | Escalante, Big Water, Boulder and Henrieville |
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on Kaiparowits, East?
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6601 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Nov. 10 | 1,130 | 9 | 4,537 | 2 |
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 Kaiparowits, East each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Kaiparowits, East's once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts in 13 years from 2013 to 2025. In 2025, 13 hunters afield took 13 rams, 100 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 9 from 9 hunters on 9 permits.
| Year | Hunt | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | DS6601 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 100% | 5.3 | 4.8 |
| 2024 | DS6601 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 100% | 15 | 4.7 |
| 2023 | DS6601 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 100% | 3.8 | 4.8 |
| 2022 | DS6601 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 100% | 6.3 | 5 |
| 2021 | DS6601 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 87.5% | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| 2020 | DS6601 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 88.9% | 6 | 4.8 |
| 2019 | DS6601 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 100% | 7.6 | 4.9 |
| 2018 | DS6601 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 100% | 4.5 | 5 |
| 2017 | DS6601 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 100% | 2.5 | 5 |
| 2016 | DS6601 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 100% | 3.4 | 5 |
| 2015 | DS6601 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100% | 2.3 | 5 |
| 2014 | DS6601 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 5.5 | |
| 2013 | DS6601 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% | 7.3 |
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 Kaiparowits, East
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6601 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 100% | 5.3 | 4.8 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Kaiparowits, East 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) | 13 of 13 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 7 of 8 | 8 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 8 of 8 |
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 Kaiparowits, East desert bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 1,130 residents put a Kaiparowits, East desert bighorn sheep hunt first and 9 drew a permit, 0.8% of them; 4,537 nonresidents applied first choice and 2 drew (0%). In 2024, 844 residents applied first choice and 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6601 | Desert bighorn sheep | 1,130 | 9 | 4,537 | 2 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6601 | 27 to 28 | 8 to 21 | 32 | 27 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6601 | Desert bighorn sheep | 844 | 7 | 2,998 | 1 |
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 Kaiparowits, East is public land?
63.1% of the Kaiparowits, East desert bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 403,913 of 640,351 acres. The largest share is BLM, 401,265 acres or 62.7% of the unit. 223,834 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Kaiparowits, East |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 401,265 | 62.7% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 223,834 | 35% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 2,648 | 0.4% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 2,310 | 0.4% |
| Private and other land not shown | 10,294 | 1.6% |
Measured by FilledTag inside DWR's 2026 boundary from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023). State trust land (SITLA) is open to hunting where it can be reached legally; many sections touch no public road. A permit does not allow hunting on CWMUs, tribal land or national parks.
What other hunts share the Kaiparowits, East 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 Kaiparowits, East it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Barney Top/Kaiparowits | limited-entry bull elk | 100% |
| Kaiparowits | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 100% |
| Kaiparowits HAMSS | limited-entry deer | 100% |
| Boulder/Kaiparowits | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Boulder/Kaiparowits | general-season deer | 100% |
How do you get to the Kaiparowits, East unit?
Highways through the unit: US 89 (about 4 miles inside it). Towns inside: Escalante. Nearby: Big Water (on the line), Boulder (14 miles) and Henrieville (20 miles). Rivers: Colorado River (33 miles).
Which desert bighorn sheep units border or overlap Kaiparowits, East?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Rams harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escalante, West | 413 | 61.4% | 3 (2025) |
| Kaiparowits, West | 1,610 | 96% | 5 (2025) |
| San Juan, San Juan River | 750 | 66.5% | 2 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on Kaiparowits, East?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunt on Kaiparowits, East: Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Nov. 10 (DS6601).
How many rams were harvested on Kaiparowits, East in 2025?
13, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 13 hunters afield on 13 permits, 100 rams for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 9.
How many people apply for Kaiparowits, East desert bighorn sheep permits?
1,130 residents and 4,537 nonresidents made a Kaiparowits, East hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 9 residents and 2 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is Kaiparowits, East mostly public land?
Yes. 63.1% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (401,265 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the Kaiparowits, East desert bighorn sheep unit?
Escalante is inside the unit. Just outside: Big Water (on the line), Boulder (14 miles) and Henrieville (20 miles).
DWR's boundary description for Kaiparowits, East
Garfield and Kane counties: Boundary begins at the north shore of Lake Powell and the Utah-Arizona state line; west on this state line to US-89; north and west along US-89 to the Smoky Mountain road; north on this road to SR-12; east on SR-12 to the Hole-in-the-Rock road; southeast on this road to the north shore of Lake Powell; southwest along this shore to the Utah-Arizona state line. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Escalante, Navajo Mountain, Smoky Mountain. Boundary questions? Call the Cedar City office, 435-865-6100.
From DWR's 2026 unit layer.
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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 Southern Region Utah draw deadlines Kaiparowits, West San Juan, San Juan River