San Juan (San Juan River) desert bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
San Juan, San Juan River is a 750-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 2 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 66.5% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (295,044 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, 2020 to 2025. Draw: DWR's 2024 and 2025 results. Land: UGRC, 2023.
National forestBLMState trust land (SITLA)National park or monument (NPS, no hunting)Tribal land (tribe's rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)San Juan, San Juan RiverNeighboring desert bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southeastern Region (Price office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 480,071 acres (750 square miles) |
| Public land | 66.5% (319,088 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 1 (DWR guidebook) |
| Rams harvested, 2025 | 2 on 2 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 100 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 137 residents, 0 nonresidents (2 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | Mexican Hat and Bluff |
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on San Juan, San Juan River?
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6623 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Nov. 10 | 137 | 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 San Juan, San Juan River each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover San Juan, San Juan River's once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts in 6 years from 2020 to 2025. In 2025, 2 hunters afield took 2 rams, 100 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 0 from 1 hunter on 1 permit.
| Year | Hunt | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | DS6623 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 14 | 5 |
| 2024 | DS6623 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 19 | 3 |
| 2023 | DS6623 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 1 | 5 |
| 2022 | DS6623 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 18 | 4 |
| 2021 | DS6623 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 34 | 5 |
| 2020 | DS6623 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 4 | 5 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2020 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 San Juan, San Juan River
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6623 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 14 | 5 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
San Juan, San Juan River by weapon, year by year
Rams harvested of permits issued, by weapon, for each year DWR reported since 2020:
| Weapon | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle (any legal weapon) | 2 of 2 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 1 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2020 to 2025. An empty cell means DWR printed no hunt of that kind on this unit that year.
How many hunters apply for San Juan, San Juan River desert bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 137 residents put a San Juan, San Juan River desert bighorn sheep hunt first and 2 drew a permit, 1.5% of them; no nonresident applied first choice. In 2024, 69 residents applied first choice and 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6623 | Desert bighorn sheep | 137 | 2 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6623 | 26 | 13 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6623 | Desert bighorn sheep | 69 | 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 San Juan, San Juan River is public land?
66.5% of the San Juan, San Juan River desert bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 319,088 of 480,071 acres. The largest share is BLM, 295,044 acres or 61.5% of the unit. 166 acres are tribal land, hunted only under the tribe's own rules. 158,373 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of San Juan, San Juan River |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 295,044 | 61.5% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 158,373 | 33% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 24,044 | 5% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 1,438 | 0.3% |
| Tribal land (tribe's rules) | 166 | under 0.1% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 15 | under 0.1% |
| State park (park rules) | 10 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 981 | 0.2% |
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 San Juan, San Juan River 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 San Juan, San Juan River it covers |
|---|---|---|
| San Juan | limited-entry bull elk | 100% |
| San Juan | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| San Juan, Elk Ridge | limited-entry deer | 100% |
| San Juan, Mancos Mesa | limited-entry deer | 50% |
How do you get to the San Juan, San Juan River unit?
Highways through the unit: UT 276 (about 14 miles inside it) and US 163 (about 2 miles inside it). Towns inside: Mexican Hat. Nearby: Bluff (16 miles). Rivers: Colorado River (19 miles) and San Juan River (15 miles).
Which desert bighorn sheep units border or overlap San Juan, San Juan River?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Rams harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escalante, East | 745 | 38.2% | 5 (2025) |
| Escalante, West | 413 | 61.4% | 3 (2025) |
| Henry Mountains | 1,299 | 88.6% | 2 (2025) |
| Kaiparowits, East | 1,001 | 63.1% | 13 (2025) |
| San Juan, South | 812 | 78.3% | 2 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on San Juan, San Juan River?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunt on San Juan, San Juan River: Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Nov. 10 (DS6623).
How many rams were harvested on San Juan, San Juan River in 2025?
2, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 2 hunters afield on 2 permits, 100 rams for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 0.
How many people apply for San Juan, San Juan River desert bighorn sheep permits?
137 residents and 0 nonresidents made a San Juan, San Juan River hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 2 residents and 0 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is San Juan, San Juan River mostly public land?
Yes. 66.5% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (295,044 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the San Juan, San Juan River desert bighorn sheep unit?
Mexican Hat is inside the unit. Just outside: Bluff (16 miles).
DWR's boundary description for San Juan, San Juan River
San Juan County: Boundary begins at the eastern shoreline of Lake Powell and SR-276 at Halls Crossing; east on SR-276 to SR-95; east on SR-95 to SR-261; south on SR-261 to US-163; south on US-163 to the San Juan River at Mexican Hat; west along the San Juan River to the eastern shoreline of Lake Powell; north on this shoreline to SR-276 at Halls Crossing.
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 Southeastern Region Utah draw deadlines Henry Mountains Kaiparowits, East San Juan, South