Big Game by StateThe public record of western draws

Arizona · Bighorn Sheep · Hunt 6501

Arizona bighorn sheep hunt 6501

Black River Hunt Area in Units 1 and 27. What each bonus point level actually did in Arizona's fall draw — how many applications sat at that level, and how many of them drew a tag. Every figure comes from an Arizona Game and Fish report linked at the foot of this page.

What the 2026 draw did

Arizona authorized 2 hunt permit-tags on hunt 6501 in 2026, of which at most 0 could go to nonresidents. Across first and second choice, 1,646 applications named it, and 2 drew it through the first two passes. The hunt filled.

Arizona grants no guarantee for holding points. Before each pass the department generates one random number for your application plus one more for every bonus point on it, and uses the lowest. Only the bonus pass — 20 per cent of the permits above, and closed to anyone holding no points — goes out in point order. So the table below is a record of what happened at each level, not a ladder you climb.

The highest bonus point level with an application on this hunt in 2026 was 35.

By bonus point level

Cycle
Residency
The draw rate is permits drawn divided by applications at that level — a share of the people there, not a share of a quota. Arizona publishes no permits-available figure per point level. "Bonus pass" is the subset of the drawn column issued in the 20 per cent first pass; it is already included, and adding the two together counts those permits twice. Applications are first and second choice only.
CyclePoints1st choice2nd choiceApplicationsDrawnof which bonus passDraw rate
2026 fall06246108000.00%
2026 fall110270172000.00%
2026 fall28939128000.00%
2026 fall37962141000.00%
2026 fall4472673000.00%
2026 fall5393069000.00%
2026 fall6553994000.00%
2026 fall7414182000.00%
2026 fall8423072000.00%
2026 fall9373370101.43%
2026 fall10302858000.00%
2026 fall11312354000.00%
2026 fall12261541102.44%
2026 fall13292453000.00%
2026 fall14272148000.00%
2026 fall15241539000.00%
2026 fall16211738000.00%
2026 fall17121426000.00%
2026 fall1818624000.00%
2026 fall19121123000.00%
2026 fall20141226000.00%
2026 fall216511000.00%
2026 fall2291524000.00%
2026 fall237916000.00%
2026 fall248311000.00%
2026 fall2522426000.00%
2026 fall268917000.00%
2026 fall2771118000.00%
2026 fall2810818000.00%
2026 fall299716000.00%
2026 fall307613000.00%
2026 fall31617000.00%
2026 fall327512000.00%
2026 fall33369000.00%
2026 fall34325000.00%
2026 fall35134000.00%
2025 fall07940119000.00%
2025 fall18643129000.00%
2025 fall27349122000.00%
2025 fall36832100000.00%
2025 fall4422769000.00%
2025 fall5412263000.00%
2025 fall6302353101.89%
2025 fall7401858000.00%
2025 fall8342559000.00%
2025 fall9311445000.00%
2025 fall10261238000.00%
2025 fall11281341000.00%
2025 fall12211637000.00%
2025 fall13221840000.00%
2025 fall14271138000.00%
2025 fall15151227000.00%
2025 fall1661117000.00%
2025 fall1714418000.00%
2025 fall1815318105.56%
2025 fall1916925000.00%
2025 fall2014418000.00%
2025 fall2110313000.00%
2025 fall229312000.00%
2025 fall237815000.00%
2025 fall2410515000.00%
2025 fall25628000.00%
2025 fall268311000.00%
2025 fall276612000.00%
2025 fall286612000.00%
2025 fall29235000.00%
2025 fall308412000.00%
2025 fall315510000.00%
2025 fall32224000.00%
2025 fall33325000.00%
2025 fall34112000.00%
2025 fall35112000.00%
2024 fall06750117000.00%
2024 fall19154145000.00%
2024 fall28350133000.00%
2024 fall35948107000.00%
2024 fall4532376000.00%
2024 fall5453580000.00%
2024 fall6433881000.00%
2024 fall7453984000.00%
2024 fall8273057000.00%
2024 fall9352661000.00%
2024 fall10323163000.00%
2024 fall11301646000.00%
2024 fall12192241000.00%
2024 fall13272552000.00%
2024 fall1418624000.00%
2024 fall15221638000.00%
2024 fall1615621000.00%
2024 fall1715520000.00%
2024 fall18121224000.00%
2024 fall1912719000.00%
2024 fall2012719000.00%
2024 fall2110818000.00%
2024 fall227815000.00%
2024 fall23201131000.00%
2024 fall2415823000.00%
2024 fall25151126000.00%
2024 fall2612517000.00%
2024 fall279211000.00%
2024 fall287613000.00%
2024 fall296511000.00%
2024 fall308210000.00%
2024 fall31426000.00%
2024 fall327512000.00%
2024 fall33224000.00%
2024 fall344372228.57%

A dash in the rate column means nobody applied at that level in that pool, which is absent rather than nought — the draw answered nothing there.

The hunt, cycle by cycle

Season, unit and permit count as the regulations booklet for that cycle prints them. The nonresident figure is a cap, not a share — it is the most that may go to nonresidents, and it does not add to a resident number.
CycleSeasonOpen areasLegal wildlifeAuthorizedNR capIssued
2026 fallBighorn Sheep Nov 1 - Nov 30, 2026Black River Hunt Area in Units 1 and 27Any ram202
2025 fallBighorn Sheep Nov 1 - Nov 30, 2025Black River Hunt Area in Units 1 and 27Any ram202
2024 fallBighorn Sheep Nov 1 - Nov 30, 2024Black River Hunt Area in Units 1 and 27Any ram202

How to read these numbers

The applications column is not the whole field. Arizona draws in three passes and the bonus point report covers the first two — the bonus pass and the first-and-second-choice pass. Hunters who named this hunt as a third, fourth or fifth choice are drawn in a pass the department publishes no point-level breakdown for, so they are not counted above and no total here should be read as everyone who wanted the tag.

A bonus point level is a property of the application, not of a person.Two to four hunters may apply on one application, and Arizona averages their points and rounds to the nearest whole number. So a row at level 6 can hold a group whose members individually hold anything from 4 to 8.

Comparing a rate here with one from another state will mislead you.Utah's and Idaho's rates are permits against a published quota. Arizona's are permits against the applicants at one point level, because that is the only denominator the department gives.

Every source read for this page

  • 2026 F Bonus Point Report — 2026-F-Bonus-Point-Report.pdf, fetched 2026-09-04
  • 2025 Fall Bonus Point Report — 2025-Fall-Bonus-Point-Report.pdf, fetched 2026-09-04
  • 2024 Fall Draw Bonus Point Report — 2024-Fall-Bonus-Point-Report.pdf, fetched 2026-09-04
  • 2026-27-Arizona-Hunting-Regulations.pdf — the regulations booklet this cycle's species, unit and permit count were read from
  • 2025-26-Arizona-Hunting-Regulations_250506.pdf — the regulations booklet this cycle's species, unit and permit count were read from
  • 2024-25-Arizona-Hunting-Regulations_241209.pdf — the regulations booklet this cycle's species, unit and permit count were read from

Nearby hunt numbers