Colorado Unit S42 Bighorn Sheep Hunting Guide
Colorado Unit S42 is one of the state's most exclusive bighorn sheep hunting opportunities, built entirely around limited-quota draw hunts with no general season whatsoever. For hunters chasing a once-in-a-lifetime bighorn tag, understanding exactly how this unit operates — from its tiny, independent tag pools to its demanding high-country terrain — is essential before investing years of points into the application.
Spanning 269,018 acres with elevations ranging from 5,366 to 10,420 feet, S42 offers a mix of lower foothill country and true alpine terrain. With 57% of the unit in public ownership, there's a solid base of accessible ground for hunters who draw a tag, though the remaining 43% in private hands means careful attention to boundaries and access points is necessary when scouting. This is not a unit where hunters can walk on any random case — every single hunt here is a limited-quota draw, and tags are almost vanishingly scarce.
This article breaks down what the data shows about harvest trends, how hunters should think about applying, and what to realistically expect if a tag ever lands in their pocket.
HuntPilot Analysis: Is S42 Worth Applying For?
The honest answer is nuanced. On one hand, recent harvest data shows this unit rewards the few hunters who draw: success rates have been outstanding, with 100% success reported in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2019. Even the softer 2025 season still produced a 60% success rate (3 of 5 hunters). Hunters who have gone through the process of drawing an S42 bighorn tag have historically finished the job.
On the other hand, the sheer scarcity of opportunity here cannot be overstated. According to HuntPilot's tag data, the independent hunt types in this unit are allocated in extraordinarily small numbers — several of the hunt categories list quotas of a single tag, with only one hunt type (S-F-S42-O2-R) showing any quota growth at all, increasing from one tag to two between the 2025 and 2026 cycles. These are not hunts where dozens of tags are spread across a season; they are among the tightest allocations in the entire state's bighorn sheep program.
For a hunter with a long-term point strategy, S42 is worth watching closely. The combination of high historical success rates and a tag pool that's showing at least modest growth in one category suggests the unit is being managed conservatively but isn't static. For a hunter looking for a "quick" bighorn opportunity, this is not the unit — demand for Colorado bighorn tags statewide is intense, and a unit allocating tags in the low single digits per hunt type is about as competitive as it gets. This unit makes the most sense for hunters already deep into a long-term points strategy who understand they may wait the better part of a hunting career before a tag comes through, and who are comfortable with the rugged, high-elevation terrain the unit demands once they do draw.
Harvest Success Rates
The harvest record for S42 bighorn sheep hunts over the past several seasons is notably strong:
- 2025: 5 hunters, 3 harvested — 60% success
- 2024: 4 hunters, 4 harvested — 100% success
- 2023: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
- 2022: 6 hunters, 6 harvested — 100% success
- 2021: 6 hunters, 6 harvested — 100% success
- 2020: 1 hunter reported, harvest outcome not specified
- 2019: 3 hunters, 3 harvested — 100% success
Across six of the seven years with reported data, success rates sat at or near 100%, with the 2025 season representing the only real dip. Given how few hunters receive tags in any given year — the totals above never exceed six hunters unit-wide — these numbers reflect an extremely small sample size typical of limited-quota bighorn hunts. That said, the consistency across multiple years (not just a single outlier season) suggests that hunters who draw in S42 are generally well-prepared, often working with guides or experienced sheep hunting partners, and that the unit's sheep population is accessible enough to produce reliable outcomes when hunting pressure is this light.
Hunters should not read a 100% success rate as a guarantee. With unit totals this small, a single unsuccessful hunter swings the percentage dramatically — as seen in 2025. The takeaway is that S42 has a strong track record, not a perfect one.
Access & Terrain
S42 covers a wide elevational gradient, from 5,366 feet up to 10,420 feet, meaning hunters could be covering a lot of vertical ground between where they park and where sheep are actually living. Bighorn sheep tend to favor the upper end of that range — steep, rocky terrain near escape cover — so hunters drawing a tag here should expect to spend most of their actual hunting time well above 8,000 feet, even though the unit's overall boundary dips much lower.
Public land makes up 57% of the unit's 269,018 acres, giving hunters a majority-public landscape to work with, though the remaining 43% in private ownership means hunters need to identify boundaries carefully before committing to a glassing or stalking plan. There is no wilderness designation reported for this unit, which means there are no backcountry travel restrictions unique to wilderness areas — though the terrain itself, given the elevation range, will still demand serious physical conditioning and technical hiking regardless of land designation.
Hunters researching this unit should use HuntPilot's mapping tools to overlay public and private boundaries before the season, identify drainages and basins within the higher elevation bands where sheep are likely to hold, and plan multiple access routes given the mix of land ownership across the unit.
How to Apply
Every bighorn sheep hunt in Colorado Unit S42 is allocated through the state's limited-quota draw system — there is no general season option for this species in this unit. That means every hunter, resident or nonresident, must apply through Colorado Parks and Wildlife's draw process and be selected before they can hunt sheep here.
Colorado's bighorn sheep draw operates on a preference point system, where points accumulate for hunters who apply but aren't selected. Given how few tags are allocated across the hunt types in S42, demand for this unit is heavily weighted toward hunters with substantial point totals built up over many years. Resident and nonresident applicants compete in separate pools, and a successful draw consumes the hunter's accumulated points, meaning hunters start rebuilding from zero after they draw.
Because several of the hunt types in this unit list quotas as low as a single tag, this falls into the category of long-term point investment hunts — the kind of tag a hunter plans for over a decade or more rather than something to expect in the near term. The one hunt type showing a quota increase heading into 2026 may offer a marginally improved opportunity, but it remains an extremely limited allocation in absolute terms.
Application dates and fees change every cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds for Unit S42, hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado page at /states/CO, which reflects the most current application windows and point requirements directly from the state's published data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit S42?
S42 spans a dramatic elevation range from 5,366 to 10,420 feet, encompassing both lower foothill terrain and true high-alpine country. Bighorn sheep in this unit are most likely to be found in the upper elevation bands, where steep, rocky slopes provide the escape terrain sheep rely on. With 57% of the unit in public ownership, hunters have a solid base to plan their approach, though the checkerboard of private land in the remaining 43% requires careful boundary awareness. There is no designated wilderness in this unit, so access isn't restricted by wilderness travel rules, but the elevation gain alone makes this physically demanding country.
What is harvest success like in Unit S42?
Harvest success in S42 has been very strong in recent years, with 100% success recorded in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2019, and a 60% success rate in 2025. However, hunter numbers in every one of these seasons were extremely small — never more than six hunters unit-wide in a given year — so these percentages reflect a tiny sample rather than a large, statistically robust trend. Still, the consistency across multiple years points to a unit where sheep are findable and hunters who draw tend to come prepared.
How many bighorn sheep tags are available in Unit S42?
Tag numbers in S42 are extremely limited across every hunt type. Recent data shows most hunt categories allocated in the range of a single tag, with one hunt type increasing from one to two tags heading into the 2026 cycle. This places S42 among the most restrictive bighorn sheep hunts in Colorado in terms of raw tag numbers. For current, year-specific quota and draw odds information, hunters should consult HuntPilot's unit page directly.
Is Colorado Unit S42 worth applying for?
For hunters already invested in a long-term points strategy for bighorn sheep, yes — the strong historical success rates make this a unit worth targeting once enough points have accumulated to be competitive. For hunters looking for a quicker path to a bighorn tag, S42's extremely limited quotas make it a poor fit; this unit is built for patience over speed, and tags here are earned through many years of point accumulation rather than drawn opportunistically.
Are there general season bighorn sheep hunts in Unit S42?
No. Every bighorn sheep hunt in Unit S42 is a limited-quota draw hunt — there is no general season option for this species in this unit. Hunters must be selected through Colorado's draw system for any opportunity to hunt sheep here, regardless of residency.