California Bighorn Sheep 508 — Zone 8
Zone 8 - South Bristol Mountains - General Method - Ram · South Bristol Mountains
- What you may take
- Zone 8 - South Bristol Mountains - General Method - Ram
- Weapon
- Rifle
- Season (2025)
- Dec 6 – Feb 1, 2026
- Tags (2023)
- 2
- for 546 first-choice applicants · nonresidents capped at 10%
Showing nonresident results. Switch to resident
Odds by point level — 2023 draw · no nonresident tags in 2025 — showing 2023
Prior-draw probability for a first-choice nonresident applicant. 1 tags, 546 first-choice applicants. Source: 2023 Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing... · p. 1.
| Points | Your chance | Applicants | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | <1% | 60 | — |
| 1 | <1% | 41 | — |
| 2 | <1% | 55 | — |
| 3 | <1% | 34 | — |
| 4 | <1% | 34 | — |
| 5 | <1% | 26 | — |
| 6 | <1% | 36 | — |
| 7 | <1% | 29 | — |
| 8 | <1% | 21 | — |
| 9 | <1% | 21 | — |
| 10 | <1% | 23 | — |
| 11 | <1% | 16 | — |
| 12 | <1% | 16 | — |
| 13 | <1% | 11 | — |
| 14 | <1% | 15 | — |
| 15 | <1% | 11 | — |
| 16 | <1% | 13 | — |
| 17 | <1% | 13 | — |
| 18 | <1% | 10 | — |
| 19 | <1% | 13 | — |
| 20 | <1% | 15 | — |
| 21 | 3% | 33 | — |
Points pass + random pass, from published pools. A dash means California Department of Fish and Wildlife did not publish a count for that level. How we compute these.
What it costs (2025 nonresident fees)
At the 2023 odds, expected cost per hunt-year ranges from $9,228.33 (enough points to draw) to $126,544.15 (lowest published odds).
Next application window: opens Apr 15, closes Jun 2, 2027 (expected) · results ~June 15. Last cycle's schedule rolled forward — confirm when the agency publishes.
Point creep & years to draw
Insufficient history (0 of 3 draws) — a creep trend needs at least three draw years with a published drew-out level.
Seasons (2025)
How this tag has hunted
Across every license type in Zone 8, California Department of Fish and Wildlife counted 0 bighorn sheep taken in 2025. Full Zone 8 profile: maps, public land, five years of harvest →
Hunters holding this license type (2025) — the rest of the area's hunters held something else:
| What they hunted | Hunters | Harvest | Success | Days per animal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 508 | — | — | 100% | — |
Post-season survey, not draw statistics. Source: Bighorn Sheep Hunting (CDFW landing page) -- 2025 Desert Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing Statistics table Bighorn Sheep Hunting (CDFW page, Wayback capture 2025-09-09) -- 2024 Desert Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing Statistics table
Year by year
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year. California runs a second, random pass after the points pass; it is shown beside the year it belongs to.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Applicants per tag | Points needed | Random pass | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 380 | 380.0 | — | 1 tagfrom 380 applications | 2025 Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 997 | 997.0 | — | 1 tagfrom 997 applications | 2024 Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2023 | 2 | 546 | 273.0 | — | 1 tagfrom 546 applications | 2023 Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2022 | 2 | 1,064 | 532.0 | — | 1 tagfrom 1,064 applications | 2022 Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 515 | 257.5 | — | 1 tagfrom 515 applications | 2021 Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | 1,188 | 594.0 | — | 1 tagfrom 1,188 applications | 2020 Bighorn Sheep Tag Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2019 | 2 | 650 | 325.0 | — | 1 tagfrom 650 applications | 2019 Big Game Drawing Bighorn... · p. 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 874 | 874.0 | — | 1 tagfrom 874 applications | 2018 Elk, Pronghorn Antelope... · p. 1 |
| 2017 | 1 | 651 | 651.0 | — | 1 tagfrom 651 applications | 2017 Elk, Pronghorn Antelope... · p. 1 |
Legal cartridges for bighorn sheep in California
From the California hunting laws rules on file for a rifle. "Depends" means the rule turns on your specific load — check the state page.
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How to read these numbers
Every percentage on this page is a prior-draw probability: the chance an applicant with that many points would have drawn in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results. It is not a forecast — quotas, applicant numbers, and point creep change every year. Every figure links to the agency document it came from. Where a state does not publish a number, we show a dash, never a zero. Hunts with fewer than five tags show counts instead of percentages. Fees show the fee year used. Read the methodology for the engine details.
Not an application service
This page is informational only. Draw rules, quotas, fees, and deadlines are set by the state agency and change by commission action — confirm everything on the agency's own site before you apply, and apply through the agency, not here. We disclaim all liability for reliance on this page.