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Colorado Bighorn Sheep

Unit S48

Colorado Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep

Colorado Sheep Unit S48 is a once-in-a-lifetime bighorn draw we approach through CPW's preference-point system. Tag counts are tiny and point creep is steep — we treat the application as a long-term point build until our total is competitive with the top of the applicant pool.

View Draw Odds Colorado Hunting Guide

Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit S48

Colorado Sheep Unit S48 is a once-in-a-lifetime bighorn draw we approach through CPW's preference-point system. Tag counts are tiny and point creep is steep — we treat the application as a long-term point build until our total is competitive with the top of the applicant pool.

Where to Find Bighorn Sheep in Unit S48

We locate Unit S48 bighorns by glassing alpine basins, cliff faces, and lambing-rock country from high vantage points on neighboring drainages. CPW's Hunting Atlas sheep-range overlay narrows the search, and we cross-reference USFS/BLM public-land layers to plan legal access into the high country.

How to Hunt Bighorn Sheep in Unit S48

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Bighorn Sheep Success Rates

Rifle78%
Sheep success in Colorado is generally high because tag holders invest years of prep. We confirm per-season S48 harvest via the CPW Big Game Statistics sheep table before laying out a hunt plan.

Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds

SeasonTagsApplicantsDraw %Pts Req
Rifle— 1st Season1254.0% 3
Rifle— 1st Season11880.5% 3
Rifle— 2nd Season11770.6% 0

Data from 2024 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine
Unit S48 bighorn tags come through CPW's pure preference-point sheep draw — highest points first. With Colorado sheep being once-in-a-lifetime after a harvest, the applicant pool keeps climbing. We check the CPW sheep draw summary each year to track the top-of-list applicant point total.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Unit S48 sheep draw work?
Colorado uses a pure preference-point sheep draw — applicants with the most accumulated points are awarded tags first. S48 is once-in-a-lifetime after a successful ram harvest.
Do non-residents have a shot at Unit S48?
Yes, but the non-resident allocation is small. We check the CPW sheep draw recap each year to confirm non-resident tag counts and points-required trends.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.

  1. CPW Big Game Hunting — Colorado Parks and Wildlife · supports: Sheep seasons, Sheep regulations · accessed 2026-04-17
  2. CPW Big Game Statistics — Colorado Parks and Wildlife · supports: Per-unit bighorn harvest, Sheep hunter success · accessed 2026-04-17
  3. CPW Hunting Atlas — Sheep Unit S48 — Colorado Parks and Wildlife / CSU NREL · supports: Sheep unit boundary, Bighorn range overlay, Public land ownership · accessed 2026-04-17
  4. CPW Big Game Draw — Colorado Parks and Wildlife · supports: Sheep draw mechanics, Once-in-a-lifetime rules · accessed 2026-04-17