San Rafael (North) desert bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
San Rafael, North is a 1,682-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 8 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 85.5% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (789,907 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 landMilitary land (closed)State park (park rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)Other public land (highways, other state land)San Rafael, NorthNeighboring desert bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southeastern Region (Price office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,076,401 acres (1,682 square miles) |
| Public land | 85.5% (919,934 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 1 (DWR guidebook) |
| Rams harvested, 2025 | 8 on 8 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 100 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 729 residents, 0 nonresidents (7 drew) |
| Wildlife management areas | 2, 3,740 acres inside the unit |
| Towns in and near it | Wellington, Huntington, Clawson, Ferron, Emery and Castle Dale |
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on San Rafael, North?
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6609 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Nov. 10 | 729 | 7 |
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, North each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover San Rafael, North's once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts in 13 years from 2013 to 2025. In 2025, 8 hunters afield took 8 rams, 100 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 4 from 4 hunters on 4 permits.
| Year | Hunt | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | DS6609 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 100% | 10.1 | 4.9 |
| 2024 | DS6609 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% | 14.3 | 4 |
| 2023 | DS6609 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% | 4.5 | 5 |
| 2022 | DS6609 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% | 9 | 4.2 |
| 2021 | DS6609 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% | 18.5 | 4.5 |
| 2020 | DS6609 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 100% | 14.2 | 4.8 |
| 2019 | DS6609 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 100% | 9.2 | 5 |
| 2018 | DS6609 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100% | 6 | 5 |
| 2017 | DS6609 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100% | 9.3 | 4.7 |
| 2016 | DS6609 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50% | 21.5 | 3.5 |
| 2015 | DS6609 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 4 | 5 |
| 2014 | DS6609 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 6 | |
| 2013 | DS6609 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 20 |
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 Rafael, North
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6609 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 100% | 10.1 | 4.9 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
San Rafael, North 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) | 8 of 8 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 6 of 6 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 3 |
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, North desert bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 729 residents put a San Rafael, North desert bighorn sheep hunt first and 7 drew a permit, 1% of them; no nonresident applied first choice. In 2024, 617 residents applied first choice and 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6609 | Desert bighorn sheep | 729 | 7 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6609 | 26 to 27 | 17 to 23 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6609 | Desert bighorn sheep | 617 | 3 |
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, North is public land?
85.5% of the San Rafael, North desert bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 919,934 of 1,076,401 acres. The largest share is BLM, 789,907 acres or 73.4% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of San Rafael, North |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 789,907 | 73.4% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 126,204 | 11.7% |
| DWR wildlife land | 3,823 | 0.4% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 287 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 156,180 | 14.5% |
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 areas inside the unit: Desert Lake WMA (2,802 acres) and Upper San Rafael River WMA (938 acres).
What other hunts share the San Rafael, North 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, North it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Manti/San Rafael | general-season deer | 100% |
| San Rafael, North | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| San Rafael, North | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 100% |
How do you get to the San Rafael, North unit?
Highways through the unit: US 6 and US 191 (one road, about 31 miles inside it) and US 50 and I-70 (one road, about 10 miles inside it). Towns inside: Wellington, Huntington, Clawson, Cleveland and Elmo. Nearby: Ferron (on the line), Emery (on the line), Castle Dale (on the line) and Price (on the line). Rivers: Price River (72 miles) and San Rafael River (62 miles).
Which desert bighorn sheep units border or overlap San Rafael, North?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Rams harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 San Rafael, North?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunt on San Rafael, North: Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Nov. 10 (DS6609).
How many rams were harvested on San Rafael, North in 2025?
8, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 8 hunters afield on 8 permits, 100 rams for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 4.
How many people apply for San Rafael, North desert bighorn sheep permits?
729 residents and 0 nonresidents made a San Rafael, North hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 7 residents and 0 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is San Rafael, North mostly public land?
Yes. 85.5% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (789,907 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the San Rafael, North desert bighorn sheep unit?
Wellington, Huntington and Clawson are inside the unit. Just outside: Ferron (on the line), Emery (on the line) and Castle Dale (on the line).
DWR's boundary description for San Rafael, North
Carbon, Emery and Sevier counties: Boundary begins at SR-10 and US-6 at Price; east and south on US-6 to I-70; west on I-70 to SR-10; north on SR-10 to US-6. Excludes all CWMUs. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Huntington, Manti, Price, Salina, San Rafael Desert. Boundary questions? Call 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 San Rafael, Dirty Devil San Rafael, South