San Juan (South) desert bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
San Juan, South is an 812-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 78.3% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (365,289 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)San Juan, SouthNeighboring desert bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southeastern Region (Price office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 519,541 acres (812 square miles) |
| Public land | 78.3% (406,779 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 | 177 residents, 0 nonresidents (2 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | Halls Crossing |
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on San Juan, South?
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6607 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Nov. 10 | 177 | 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, South each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover San Juan, South's once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts in 13 years from 2013 to 2025. In 2025, 2 hunters afield took 2 rams, 100 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 1 from 2 hunters on 2 permits.
| Year | Hunt | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 6.5 | 5 |
| 2024 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50% | 13 | 2.5 |
| 2023 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 9.5 | 3.5 |
| 2022 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 14 | 5 |
| 2021 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 7.5 | 4.5 |
| 2020 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 9 | 5 |
| 2019 | DS6607 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 33.3% | 13.7 | 3 |
| 2018 | DS6607 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 4 | 5 |
| 2017 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 19.5 | 3.5 |
| 2016 | DS6607 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 11 | 5 |
| 2015 | DS6607 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 7 | 5 |
| 2014 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 11.5 | |
| 2013 | DS6607 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 2.5 |
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 San Juan, South
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6607 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 6.5 | 5 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
San Juan, South 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 2 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 2 | 1 of 4 | 1 of 1 |
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 San Juan, South desert bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 177 residents put a San Juan, South desert bighorn sheep hunt first and 2 drew a permit, 1.1% of them; no nonresident applied first choice. In 2024, 192 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6607 | Desert bighorn sheep | 177 | 2 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6607 | 26 | 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6607 | Desert bighorn sheep | 192 | 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 San Juan, South is public land?
78.3% of the San Juan, South desert bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 406,779 of 519,541 acres. The largest share is BLM, 365,289 acres or 70.3% of the unit. 109,860 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of San Juan, South |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 365,289 | 70.3% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 109,860 | 21.1% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 41,490 | 8% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 1,827 | 0.4% |
| Private and other land not shown | 1,075 | 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, South 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, South 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 | 73% |
How do you get to the San Juan, South unit?
Highways through the unit: UT 276 (about 23 miles inside it). Towns inside: Halls Crossing. Rivers: Colorado River (18 miles).
Which desert bighorn sheep units border or overlap San Juan, South?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Rams harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Mountains | 1,299 | 88.6% | 2 (2025) |
| San Juan, North | 612 | 61.4% | 1 (2025) |
| San Juan, San Juan River | 750 | 66.5% | 2 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on San Juan, South?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunt on San Juan, South: Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Nov. 10 (DS6607).
How many rams were harvested on San Juan, South 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 1.
How many people apply for San Juan, South desert bighorn sheep permits?
177 residents and 0 nonresidents made a San Juan, South hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 2 residents and 0 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is San Juan, South mostly public land?
Yes. 78.3% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (365,289 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the San Juan, South desert bighorn sheep unit?
Halls Crossing is inside the unit.
DWR's boundary description for San Juan, South
San Juan County: Boundary begins at the shoreline of Lake Powell and SR-95; southeast along SR-95 to the Fortknocker Canyon Road; southeast along this road to the Woodenshoe Road; east then southeast along this road to the USFS boundary line; south on this boundary line to the Birch Canyon Road; south on this road to UT-275; south on UT-275 to SR-95; west on SR-95 to SR-276; south and west on SR-276 to the eastern shoreline of Lake Powell; east and north along this shoreline to SR-95. Boundary questions? Call the Price office, 435-613-3700.
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 San Juan, North San Juan, San Juan River