Book Your Adventure 1-800-346-8747
Book Your Adventure 1-800-346-8747
Sign In
Worldwide Trophy Adventures
Book Your Adventure
1-800-346-8747

Arizona’s Deer/Sheep Deadline: That’s a Wrap on the 2024 Draw Season!

Eric Pawlak
|  
  • Eric Pawlak
Species: Mule Deer, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Coues Deer, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Location: Arizona

The Arizona deer and sheep deadline on June 4, 2024 marks the end of another application season. There are a few minor draws and point-only periods coming up in 2024, but the major deadlines have passed and the draw results have been posted. I hope 2024 was your year to draw an awesome tag! If not, you’ve built another valuable bonus point for your future. That’s the name of the game!

If you successfully drew a tag, you received a call from your dedicated WTA TAGS consultant informing you of your good fortune. If you drew a tag and haven’t booked with an outfitter, this needs immediate attention. WTA’s owner Mark Peterson said it best: “After finally drawing a great tag…don’t screw it up at the end…hire a reputable outfitter!”

Arizona Deadlines

Arizona has a staggered deadline for its limited-entry big game tags. June 4, 2024 marks the deadline to apply for deer and sheep tags. For deer, we’re talking about mule deer and coues deer. And for sheep, desert bighorn and Rocky Mountain bighorn are both available.

Mule Deer vs. Coues Deer

Applicants in Arizona are restricted to one deer application. The state considers two choices on the application. You can utilize two mule deer choices, or two coues deer choices, or one choice for each. For example, first choice mule deer, second choice coues deer.

Consider this quick, low-level consultation when deciding how to apply for deer in Arizona. Arizona boasts the best mule deer hunting in North America. It is truly the land of 200″. However, these deer reside in a handful of units with VERY limited non-resident tags. This is a tag you may never draw in your lifetime.

Arizona also boasts the best coues deer hunting in the West. Early hunts in October and November can easily be drawn with 0–3 bonus points and we offer highly successful adventures with our TAGS-endorsed outfitters. The more sought-after late coues hunts in December are more difficult to draw, but the tag can be drawn within 8 years, hopefully sooner.

Desert Bighorn vs. Rocky Mountain Bighorn

In Arizona, applicants are also restricted to one sheep application. The state considers two choices on the application. You can utilize two desert choices, two rocky choices, or one choice for each. Apply for first choice desert bighorn sheep, second choice Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.

This one is easy. If you don’t have a desert, apply both first and second choice for desert bighorn sheep. Arizona offers non-residents far more desert tags than Rocky tags. Also, most of their desert bighorn sheep units produce high quality rams.

I hope the 2024 application season was kind to you. If a tag didn’t come your way, be persistent. As your points accumulate, good things start to happen. If 2024 passed you by and you haven’t been applying for the best tags in the country, don’t fret. As I mentioned earlier, a few applications are still worth considering for this year—you can still build valuable points in Wyoming and Montana for most of their big game species. The point-only application deadlines for these states are several months out.

Call a WTA TAGS consultant today and begin planning for the future in Western big game hunting. And ask about our Women and Children First Program. We offer professional licensing services free of charge to kids under 19 years old and licensing for female clients is offered at 50% off!

 

From the entire crew a WTA TAGS, have a great summer, try to stay in relatively decent physical shape for the fall, and we’ll call you if you draw an Arizona tag. Good luck!

Learn More about WTA TAGS

Giant Desert Bighorn Hunt in Arizona

Watch Now

Recent Articles

Popular Hunts

Draw Required
Sheep Hunting in Idaho – Rocky Mountain Bighorn & California Bighorn
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep   ·
Idaho
From 
$10,000
Outfitter #160
Draw Required
Montana Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep – A World-Class Opportunity
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep   ·
Montana
From 
$9,000
Outfitter #000

Top Arizona Hunting Trips

Draw Required
Southern Arizona Javelina Hunts
Javelina   ·
Arizona
From 
$1,500
Outfitter #973
Draw Required
Mule Deer Hunt in Arizona – Unit 17A
Mule Deer   ·
Arizona
From 
$7,500
Outfitter #841

Related Articles

Arizona
Mule Deer
For Big Bucks and Majestic Rams, Apply in Arizona
May 24, 2025
Read More »
Alberta
Mule Deer
Alberta Bucks: A Sweepstakes Hunt of a Lifetime
April 1, 2025
Read More »
Arizona
Rocky Mountain Elk
Arizona Elk and Antelope Hunting: Maximize Your Chances with WTA TAGS
January 14, 2025
Read More »
Apply for Alaska’s Most Coveted Tags

Apply for Alaska’s Most Coveted Tags

Most sportsmen don’t think of the draw when contemplating a hunt in Alaska. That’s because, for most of the big…
Against the Odds: Drawing Back-to-Back Sheep and Goat Tags 

Against the Odds: Drawing Back-to-Back Sheep and Goat Tags 

Drawing a sheep tag with 1-in-5,300 odds is amazing. Drawing a mountain goat tag the next year? That’s lottery luck. That’s why it didn’t seem real when my WTA consultant, Jordan Roche, called me two years in a row with that news!

I’d been working with Jordan at WTA TAGS for about five years, letting him manage my hunting applications in multiple states while I focused on staying in shape for whatever hunts might come through. When he called about the Tok Range Dall sheep tag (the only non-resident permit out of 10 total), I knew it was special.

After the excitement of drawing my tag settled in, it was time to find the right outfitter to make my hunt a success. WTA recommended one of their top partners for that area and handled every detail. My outfitter made it clear: this would be a backpack hunt in some of Alaska’s toughest sheep country. At 64, with two hip replacements, I can’t run anymore. But I can hike. So that’s how I prepared—I hiked mile after mile with a weighted pack, knowing the Tok doesn’t care about age or medical history.

We went in a day and a half before the season opened and spotted a band of 14 rams, including one heavy-horned giant that immediately caught our attention. Then Alaska did what Alaska does best. Weather rolled in, the rams vanished, and we spent the three days scouring valleys and ridges to find them again.

When we finally relocated them, we had to break camp and make a major move. After a full day’s work, we spotted six rams bedding down as evening fell. The next morning, we made our play.

The wind that day was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It sounded like a freight train roaring up the mountain; gusting, dying, gusting again. At 320 yards, I had to time my shot during the lulls. My first shot went wide in the wind. The second shot dropped him—a beautiful 39″ ram. Honestly, I didn’t care about the number. That’s not why I hunt. I’m in it for the experience and a good animal. This ram was both.

The pack-out was its own adventure. We crossed the glacier-fed Tok River multiple times before Matt showed up with a Korean War-era military vehicle that could go just about anywhere. After nine days in the mountains, that slow, bumpy ride was a step up from travelling another 10 miles on foot. This was a trip I’ll never forget.

When Jordan called me in February 2025 to tell me I’d drawn a mountain goat tag, I actually laughed. “Figure out something for next year,” I told him, knowing the odds of a three-peat were one in a million. But first, it was time to prepare for my goat hunt.

I flew into Homer at the end of August, expecting to start hunting on Tuesday. By Monday evening, my outfitter, Paul, was warning me about the incoming weather. “We might not get you in until Friday,” he said. He wasn’t kidding. We sat through three days of howling wind, driving rain, and zero visibility before finally getting our chance.

Paul operates from a landing craft that serves as a mobile base camp. But getting from sea level to where the goats live? That was the hardest climb I’ve ever done, and I’ve completed five sheep hunts.

It was only 1,500 vertical feet, but every step came wrapped in devil’s club thorns, soaking brush, deadfall, and rain-slicked cliff bands. We hiked for what seemed like an eternity before stopping for the night to set up camp.

The next morning changed everything. Once above that coastal jungle, the alpine opened up to reveal why we’d suffered through that brutal climb. There were mountain goats everywhere. Good billies. The kind that makes you forget about devil’s club and exhaustion.

I took my billy on August 30, the first day of actual hunting after being sidelined due to weather. While packing him out, we witnessed something I’d never seen: ravens harassing a billy goat. They would swoop within inches of his head, and he’d swing his horns, trying to knock them away. Paul had told me about this strange relationship between ravens and goats, but seeing it firsthand was incredible.

The trip down gave us one more show. A black bear, fat from gorging on berries, army-crawled through the blueberry patches, entertained us from 400 yards away. I had a bear tag, but watching him was worth more than any trophy. Crossing salmon-choked streams on the way out completed the full Alaskan experience.

Both hunts worked because of solid preparation and connections with the right team. Jordan, my WTA consultant, had been helping me strategically build points and select units for years. When the draw results came through, WTA’s network meant proven outfitters were ready and handled every detail. They provided thorough gear lists, arranged logistics, and coordinated air charters. Everything was dialed in.

Some guys chase record books. Others chase hunting milestones. I finished my slam in 2019 with a desert ram, but what excites me most these days is the experience—the hunts that test you, humble you, and stay with you long after the pack is unloaded. When you work with the right people and put in the preparation, amazing things can happen. Jordan’s already working on my applications for 2026, so we’ll see what adventure comes through next.

Contact WTA TAGS to learn more about drawing the tags of your dreams: 1-800-755-8247. 

Get Started with WTA TAGS
Wyoming’s Preference Point Deadline Is Approaching: October 31

Wyoming’s Preference Point Deadline Is Approaching: October 31

Preference Point Deadline: October 31, 2025

The deadline to purchase Wyoming preference points is October 31. If WTA is already managing your TAGS applications, you’re all set. If not, don’t miss the chance to secure points this year. It’s the perfect time to talk with a TAGS consultant to start a new portfolio or grow your existing one.

Wyoming’s system is unique. Unlike other states, you don’t automatically receive a preference point if you’re unsuccessful in the draw. Instead, you must log in after July 1 and purchase your points separately. Building points is critical if you want a shot at drawing a Wyoming tag. Over-the-counter opportunities are a thing of the past. Today, only 25% of non-resident tags are issued randomly. The other 75% go to applicants with the highest point totals.

If you want to hunt big game in Wyoming, building preference points isn’t optional…it’s essential.

Watch Wyoming Video

While preference points are an investment in the future, don’t let that keep you from starting now. While Wyoming has units that require 18+ points, there are also good opportunities to hunt sooner. There are elk, deer, and antelope hunts that can be drawn with 0–3 points. Think about it this way—the more points you have, the more options you have.

View Wyoming TAGS Hunts

Get Trip Specials & Cancellations,
Right Where You Want It.

No spam. Just the good stuff. Opt-out anytime.