Nebo Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
Nebo is a 1,472-square-mile once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unit in DWR's Central Region of Utah. Once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunters here took 2 sheep on 2 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 49.1% public land open to hunting; the largest share is BLM (191,891 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)DWR wildlife landBureau of ReclamationTribal land (tribe's rules)Military land (closed)State park (park rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)Other public land (highways, other state land)NeboNeighboring Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Central Region (Springville office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 941,894 acres (1,472 square miles) |
| Public land | 49.1% (462,528 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 1 (DWR guidebook) |
| Sheep harvested, 2025 | 2 on 2 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 100 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 414 residents, 0 nonresidents (2 drew) |
| Wildlife management areas | 14, 42,414 acres inside the unit |
| Towns in and near it | Spanish Fork, Payson, Salem, Scipio, Centerfield and Ephraim |
When are the 2026 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunts on Nebo?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6725 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Oct. 31-Nov. 30 | 414 | 2 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, page 67; 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 sheep are taken on Nebo each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Nebo's once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunts in 6 years from 2020 to 2025. In 2025, 2 hunters afield took 2 sheep, 100 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 2 from 2 hunters on 2 permits.
| Year | Hunt | Permits | Hunters afield | Sheep harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | RS6725 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 9.5 | 3.5 |
| 2024 | RS6725 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 9.5 | 5 |
| 2023 | RS6725 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 3.5 | 5 |
| 2022 | RS6725 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 6 | 5 |
| 2021 | RS6725 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100% | 3.7 | 5 |
| 2020 | RS6725 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 12.5 | 5 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2020 to 2025, every once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain 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 Nebo
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Sheep harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6725 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 9.5 | 3.5 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Nebo by weapon, year by year
Sheep 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 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 |
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 Nebo Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 414 residents put a Nebo Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt first and 2 drew a permit, 0.5% of them; no nonresident applied first choice. In 2024, 414 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6725 | Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep | 414 | 2 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6725 | 23 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6725 | Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep | 414 | 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 Nebo is public land?
49.1% of the Nebo Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting: 462,528 of 941,894 acres, the largest share BLM (191,891 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 Nebo 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 Nebo Rocky Mountain 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 Nebo it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Wasatch Mountains/Central Mountains | once-in-a-lifetime bull moose | 100% |
| Nebo | general-season deer, with its limited-entry hunts | 100% |
| Nebo | once-in-a-lifetime mountain goat | 100% |
| Nebo/San Pitch Mountains | limited-entry bull elk | 66% |
| Nebo/San Pitch Mountains | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 66% |
| Valley Mountains | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 28% |
| Nebo, Moroni Hills | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 6% |
Which Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep units border or overlap Nebo?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Sheep harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fillmore, Oak Creek | 2,049 | 61.3% | 12 (2025) |
| Wasatch Mountains, West | 1,220 | 59% | 1 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunts on Nebo?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt on Nebo: Rifle (any legal weapon) Oct. 31-Nov. 30 (RS6725).
How many sheep were harvested on Nebo in 2025?
2, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 2 hunters afield on 2 permits, 100 sheep for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 2.
How many people apply for Nebo Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep permits?
414 residents and 0 nonresidents made a Nebo hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 2 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 Central Region Utah draw deadlines Fillmore, Oak Creek Wasatch Mountains, West