Zion desert bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
Zion is a 1,724-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 3 rams on 3 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 50.7% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (436,573 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)Other public land (highways, other state land)ZionNeighboring desert bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southern Region (Cedar City office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,103,078 acres (1,724 square miles) |
| Public land | 50.7% (559,298 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 1 (DWR guidebook) |
| Rams harvested, 2025 | 3 on 3 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 100 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 1,368 residents, 0 nonresidents (3 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | St. George, Hurricane, Apple Valley, Kanab, Orderville and Cedar City |
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on Zion?
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6611 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Nov. 10 | 1,368 | 3 |
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 Zion each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Zion's once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunts in 13 years from 2013 to 2025. In 2025, 3 hunters afield took 3 rams, 100 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 2 from 2 hunters on 2 permits.
| Year | Hunts reported | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | Harvest per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100 |
| 2024 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100 |
| 2023 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100 |
| 2022 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100 |
| 2021 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 71 |
| 2020 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 67 |
| 2019 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 100 |
| 2018 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 100 |
| 2017 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 100 |
| 2016 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 100 |
| 2015 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 92 |
| 2014 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 100 |
| 2013 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 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 Zion
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Rams harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6611 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100% | 20.7 | 4.7 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Zion 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 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 2 | ||||||
| Rifle (any legal weapon) | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 3 | 3 of 4 | 5 of 5 | 5 of 5 |
| Weapon not printed | 3 of 4 | 3 of 3 | 6 of 6 | 5 of 5 |
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 Zion desert bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 1,368 residents put a Zion desert bighorn sheep hunt first and 3 drew a permit, 0.2% of them; no nonresident applied first choice. In 2024, 1,378 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6611 | Desert bighorn sheep | 1,368 | 3 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6611 | 26 to 27 | 9 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS6611 | Desert bighorn sheep | 1,378 | 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 Zion is public land?
50.7% of the Zion desert bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting: 559,298 of 1,103,078 acres, the largest share BLM (436,573 acres). DWR uses the same boundary for its general-season deer hunts; the land table by manager, the access notes and DWR's boundary description are on the Zion deer page.
Measured by FilledTag inside DWR's 2026 boundary from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
What other hunts share the Zion 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 Zion it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Zion | general-season deer, with its limited-entry hunts | 100% |
| Zion | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 100% |
Which desert bighorn sheep units border or overlap Zion?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Rams harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Valley, Beaver Dam | 2,449 | 70.7% | 3 (2025) |
| Pine Valley, Virgin River | 157 | 74.8% | 2 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 desert bighorn sheep hunts on Zion?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep hunt on Zion: Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Nov. 10 (DS6611).
How many rams were harvested on Zion in 2025?
3, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 3 hunters afield on 3 permits, 100 rams for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 2.
How many people apply for Zion desert bighorn sheep permits?
1,368 residents and 0 nonresidents made a Zion hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 3 residents and 0 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
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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 Pine Valley, Beaver Dam Pine Valley, Virgin River