Arizona Unit 37A Bighorn Sheep Hunting Guide

Arizona Unit 37A is one of the state's premier bighorn sheep hunting units, sprawling across 1,071,865 acres in a landscape defined by dramatic elevation change and desert ruggedness. Elevations in the unit run from 1,416 feet up to 4,635 feet, creating the kind of broken, rocky terrain that bighorn sheep favor and that makes this style of hunting so demanding. With 72% of the unit in public ownership, hunters drawing a tag here have substantial access to hunt without needing to negotiate private land leases.

Bighorn sheep hunting in Arizona is fundamentally different from deer or elk hunting in the state — tags are extremely scarce, application costs are steep, and most hunters treat a bighorn tag as a genuine once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Unit 37A fits squarely into that mold. This article breaks down what the available data says about harvest, trophy potential, herd composition, and how to apply, so hunters can decide whether to invest in points and fees for a shot at this unit.

Harvest Success Rates

Recent harvest figures for Unit 37A show a pattern typical of a tightly controlled bighorn sheep hunt: very few tags, and those tag holders converting at extremely high rates. In 2025, 7 hunters harvested 7 sheep, a 100% success rate. The same result held in 2024, with 7 hunters and 7 harvested animals. In 2023, 6 hunters harvested 6 sheep — again 100%.

The 2022 figure listed in the data (14 hunters, 300 harvested, a 2,143% success rate) is clearly an outlier relative to the other three years and should be read with caution — a percentage above 100% signals either a reporting anomaly or a harvest count that includes activity beyond the sheep-tag holders reflected in the hunter count. The three most recent years (2023–2025) offer the more reliable picture: bighorn hunters who draw a tag in this unit are converting it into a harvested animal essentially every time.

That consistency across three straight seasons is meaningful. It tells hunters that once a tag is secured, success is overwhelmingly likely if they put in the scouting and physical effort bighorn hunting demands. This is a hunt where drawing the tag — not filling it — is the real challenge.

Trophy Quality

The counties overlapping Unit 37A carry a strong history of trophy-class bighorn sheep records. This is qualitative context rather than a scorecard, but it matters: a strong trophy history across the surrounding county area suggests the habitat, genetics, and age structure in this part of Arizona have consistently supported rams that grow into mature, book-caliber animals. Because trophy records are logged at the county level rather than by exact unit boundary, that trophy pedigree is shared with neighboring units drawing from the same county lines — but it still speaks to the overall quality of desert bighorn habitat in this region.

Hunters who draw a tag here should expect a legitimate shot at a mature ram, particularly given the near-perfect harvest success rates noted above. Combined with the terrain and herd data, this unit offers hunters a realistic chance at a genuine trophy-caliber bighorn, not just an opportunity tag.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The wildlife survey data available for Unit 37A comes from a single survey year (2022), which reported an average buck:doe... in this case ram:ewe ratio of 63:100 across the survey, with an average of 199 animals observed. Because this reflects only one survey year, it should be treated as a single data point rather than a multi-year trend — there isn't a longer historical baseline in the available data to confirm whether that ratio is representative of a stable pattern or a single-year snapshot influenced by survey conditions.

What the number does indicate, taken together with 199 animals observed, is a population base substantial enough to support consistent annual tag issuance and the high harvest-success rates seen in recent years. Hunters should treat this as a reasonably healthy sheep population for a desert unit, while recognizing that additional survey years would be needed to confirm the trend line.

Access & Terrain

Unit 37A's terrain is defined by its elevation range — from 1,416 feet at the low end to 4,635 feet at the high points — which is classic low-desert-to-mid-elevation bighorn country. Expect broken volcanic and rocky mountain ranges rising out of desert flats, with steep, exposed slopes and limited vegetation cover. This terrain style is exactly what desert bighorn sheep select for: rugged escape terrain, sightlines for predator avoidance, and rocky ridgelines for bedding and lambing.

With 72% of the unit in public ownership, hunters have room to roam and glass extensively without needing special permission or lease access on the majority of the acreage. The unit carries no wilderness designation (0%), meaning there are no additional wilderness-specific access restrictions or guide requirements tied to that classification here — hunters can plan on standard vehicle and foot access across the public portions of the unit, subject to normal desert terrain and road conditions.

Given the ruggedness inherent to bighorn habitat, hunters should plan for significant glassing time and physically demanding stalks over rock and scree. HuntPilot's mapping tools can help hunters identify public land boundaries, elevation bands, and potential glassing points within the unit's public acreage before ever setting boots on the ground.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 37A Worth Applying For?

For hunters weighing whether to invest years of points and application fees into Unit 37A, the data tells a fairly clear story. This is a unit where the challenge is almost entirely in drawing the tag, not in filling it. Three consecutive years of 100% harvest success (2023–2025) show that hunters who make it through the draw are extraordinarily likely to bring home a ram. Combine that with a strong trophy history in the surrounding counties, and this unit represents a legitimate trophy opportunity rather than just an opportunity tag.

The tradeoffs are real, though. Bighorn sheep tags anywhere in Arizona are extremely limited, and demand for a unit with this kind of track record is heavily contested — both for residents and nonresidents. Residents face a lighter but still meaningful cost structure. This isn't a hunt to enter casually; it's one to plan for financially and strategically over a period of years.

For hunters serious about eventually hunting desert bighorn sheep in Arizona, Unit 37A deserves a spot on the application list given its consistent harvest outcomes and trophy pedigree. Hunters should check HuntPilot's Arizona unit pages for current draw odds and point trends before committing points to this specific unit, since demand and quota levels shift from year to year.

How to Apply

Arizona's bighorn sheep application process requires hunters to hold a qualifying hunting license before they can even submit an application — this is a hard requirement, not an optional add-on.

Given the license-fee-to-apply requirement and the high tag cost for nonresidents in particular, hunters should budget well in advance. This is one of the more expensive big game applications in the western United States, reflecting the scarcity and quality of the opportunity.

Application dates and fees change every draw cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Arizona page at /states/az.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Arizona Unit 37A? Unit 37A spans a wide elevation range from 1,416 to 4,635 feet, producing classic desert bighorn habitat — rocky, broken mountain ranges rising out of desert flats with steep slopes and limited cover. With 72% of the unit in public ownership and no wilderness designation, hunters have broad access to scout and hunt across most of the unit's public acreage using standard vehicle and foot access.

What is harvest success like in Unit 37A? Recent years show extremely high harvest success once a tag is drawn. In 2025, all 7 hunters who held tags harvested a ram (100%), matching 2024's 7-for-7 result and 2023's 6-for-6 result. The data indicates that filling a tag is rarely the obstacle in this unit — drawing one is.

How big are the bighorn sheep in Unit 37A? The counties overlapping this unit have a strong history of producing trophy-class bighorn rams, based on available trophy records. While specific scores aren't published here, that trophy pedigree — combined with the unit's consistent harvest success — suggests hunters who draw a tag have a realistic chance at a mature, trophy-caliber ram.

Is Unit 37A worth applying for? For hunters focused on Arizona desert bighorn sheep, yes — the combination of consistently high harvest success, a strong regional trophy history, and substantial public land access (72%) makes this a unit worth prioritizing in a long-term points strategy. The primary barrier is the difficulty of drawing the tag itself and the significant cost of the tag and license fees, not the quality of the hunt once drawn.

Do I need a guide to hunt bighorn sheep in Unit 37A? Unit 37A carries no wilderness designation (0% wilderness), so there is no special guide requirement tied to wilderness access in this unit. Hunters should still expect physically demanding terrain and may choose to hire local knowledge given the difficulty of glassing and stalking bighorn sheep in this type of country, but it is not a legal requirement here.