San Rafael (Dirty Devil) desert bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
San Rafael, Dirty Devil is a 2,048-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 8 rams on 10 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 77.7% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (909,113 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)Military land (closed)State park (park rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)Other public land (highways, other state land)San Rafael, Dirty DevilNeighboring desert bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southeastern Region (Price office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,310,830 acres (2,048 square miles) |
| Public land | 77.7% (1,019,155 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 2 (DWR guidebook) |
| Rams harvested, 2025 | 8 on 10 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 80 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 714 residents, 2,091 nonresidents (9 drew) |
| Wildlife management areas | 1, 3,531 acres inside the unit |
| Towns in and near it | Green River and Hanksville |
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on San Rafael, Dirty Devil?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 2 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6608 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Nov. 10 | 490 | 5 | 2,091 | 2 |
| DS6624 | Archery | Nov. 11-Dec. 17 | 224 | 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 Rafael, Dirty Devil each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover San Rafael, Dirty Devil's once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts in 13 years from 2013 to 2025. In 2025, 10 hunters afield took 8 rams, 80 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 7 from 9 hunters on 9 permits.
| Year | Hunts reported | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | Harvest per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 80 |
| 2024 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 78 |
| 2023 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 83 |
| 2022 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 88 |
| 2021 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 78 |
| 2020 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 100 |
| 2019 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 |
| 2017 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 |
| 2014 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100 |
| 2013 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 100 |
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, added up by FilledTag. 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 Rafael, Dirty Devil
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6608 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 85.7% | 11.1 | 4.6 |
| DS6624 | Archery | 3 | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 9.5 | 3.5 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
San Rafael, Dirty Devil 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 2 | |||
| Rifle (any legal weapon) | 6 of 7 | 6 of 7 | 9 of 10 | 6 of 6 | 6 of 7 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 3 | 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 Rafael, Dirty Devil desert bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 714 residents put a San Rafael, Dirty Devil desert bighorn sheep hunt first and 7 drew a permit, 1% of them; 2,091 nonresidents applied first choice and 2 drew (0.1%). In 2024, 696 residents applied first choice and 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6608 | Desert bighorn sheep | 490 | 5 | 2,091 | 2 |
| DS6624 | Desert bighorn sheep archery | 224 | 2 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6608 | 25 to 26 | 9 to 22 | 32 | 6 |
| DS6624 | 23 | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6608 | Desert bighorn sheep | 499 | 6 | 1,801 | 1 |
| DS6624 | Desert bighorn sheep archery | 197 | 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 Rafael, Dirty Devil is public land?
77.7% of the San Rafael, Dirty Devil desert bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 1,019,155 of 1,310,830 acres. The largest share is BLM, 909,113 acres or 69.4% of the unit. 277,339 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of San Rafael, Dirty Devil |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 909,113 | 69.4% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 277,339 | 21.2% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 106,511 | 8.1% |
| DWR wildlife land | 3,531 | 0.3% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 2,111 | 0.2% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 267 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 11,958 | 0.9% |
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.
DWR wildlife management area inside the unit: Lower San Rafael River WMA (3,531 acres).
What other hunts share the San Rafael, Dirty Devil 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 Rafael, Dirty Devil it covers |
|---|---|---|
| San Rafael, Desert | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 100% |
| San Rafael, South-Dirty Devil | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Manti/San Rafael | general-season deer | 100% |
How do you get to the San Rafael, Dirty Devil unit?
Highways through the unit: US 50 and I-70 (one road, about 12 miles inside it), US 6 (about 5 miles inside it) and US 191 (about 5 miles inside it). Nearby: Green River (on the line) and Hanksville (on the line). Rivers: Dirty Devil River (78 miles), Green River (57 miles) and San Rafael River (34 miles).
Which desert bighorn sheep units border or overlap San Rafael, Dirty Devil?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Rams harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Mountains | 1,299 | 88.6% | 2 (2025) |
| La Sal, Potash/South Cisco | 1,462 | 73.1% | 7 (2025) |
| San Juan, North | 612 | 61.4% | 1 (2025) |
| San Rafael, North | 1,682 | 85.5% | 8 (2025) |
| San Rafael, South | 1,357 | 97.5% | 11 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on San Rafael, Dirty Devil?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 2 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts on San Rafael, Dirty Devil: Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Nov. 10 (DS6608) and Archery Nov. 11-Dec. 17 (DS6624).
How many rams were harvested on San Rafael, Dirty Devil in 2025?
8, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 10 hunters afield on 10 permits, 80 rams for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 7.
How many people apply for San Rafael, Dirty Devil desert bighorn sheep permits?
714 residents and 2,091 nonresidents made a San Rafael, Dirty Devil hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 7 residents and 2 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is San Rafael, Dirty Devil mostly public land?
Yes. 77.7% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (909,113 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the San Rafael, Dirty Devil desert bighorn sheep unit?
No town is inside it. The nearest: Green River (on the line) and Hanksville (on the line).
DWR's boundary description for San Rafael, Dirty Devil
Emery, Garfield and Wayne counties: Boundary begins at the junction of I-70 and the Green River; south along the Green River to the Colorado River; south along the Colorado River and the west shore of Lake Powell to SR-95; north on SR-95 to SR-24 in Hanksville; north on SR-24 to I-70; east on I-70 to the Green River. EXCLUDES ALL NATIONAL PARKS. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Hanksville, Hite Crossing, San Rafael Desert. 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 La Sal, Potash/South Cisco San Juan, North San Rafael, North San Rafael, South