Nebraska Bighorn Sheep BHS-LOTTERY — Unit panhandle-counties

Bighorn Sheep Lottery (regular season) · Bighorn Sheep Lottery (regular season)

What you may take
Bighorn Sheep Lottery (regular season) (ram)
Weapon
Rifle
Season (2026)
Dec 1–22, 2026
Resident tags (2025)
1
for 3,111 first-choice applicants

Showing resident results. Switch to nonresident

Odds by point level — 2025 draw · 2026 draw pending — showing 2025 odds

Prior-draw probability for a first-choice resident applicant. 1 tags, 3,111 first-choice applicants. Source: Nebraska 2026 Big Game Guide · p. 28.

Points Your chance Applicants Drawn
0 <1%

Tags ÷ applicants. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission publishes no per-level applicant counts for this hunt. How we compute these.

What it costs (2025 resident fees)

Cash to apply
$29
Out of pocket if unsuccessful
$29
Total if drawn
tag fee not on file
Refunded if unsuccessful
$0
Bighorn sheep lottery application fee · paid at application $29 source

Next application window: opens Apr 20, closes Aug 7, 2027 (expected). Last cycle's schedule rolled forward — confirm when the agency publishes.

Point creep & years to draw

No points in this draw — every applicant has the same chance each year, so there is no cut to creep and nothing to build toward.

Seasons (2026)

Split 1: Dec 1–22, 2026 p. 'Season Dates' (Bighorn Sheep, p.28)

Year by year

The standard draw for residents, one row per year.

Year Tags Applicants Applicants per tag Points needed Source
2026 1 Commission Order C014: Mountain... · C14 (Aug-2025 redline, 2026 column): ...
2025 1 3,111 3111.0 Nebraska 2026 Big Game Guide · p. 28
2024 1 3,685 3685.0 Nebraska 2026 Big Game Guide · p. 28
2023 1 3,524 3524.0 Nebraska Big Game Guide 2024 · p. 29
2022 1 3,904 3904.0 Nebraska Big Game Guide 2024 · p. 29
2021 1 3,664 3664.0 Nebraska 2026 Big Game Guide · p. 28
2020 1 3,172 3172.0 Nebraska 2026 Big Game Guide · p. 28
2019 1 2,723 2723.0 Nebraska 2026 Big Game Guide · p. 28
2018 1 1,762 1762.0 Nebraska 2026 Big Game Guide · p. 28

Legal cartridges for bighorn sheep in Nebraska

From the Nebraska hunting laws rules on file for a rifle. "Depends" means the rule turns on your specific load — check the state page.

.22-250 Remington
.223 Remington from $0.42/rd
.243 Winchester from $1.11/rd
.25-06 Remington
6.5 Creedmoor
6.5 Grendel
.270 Winchester from $0.16/rd
7mm-08 Remington
7mm Remington Magnum
.30-06 Springfield
.300 AAC Blackout from $0.56/rd
.300 Winchester Magnum from $1.25/rd
.30-30 Winchester
.308 Winchester
.338 Winchester Magnum
.350 Legend from $1.07/rd
.35 Whelen
.360 Buckhammer
.400 Legend
.444 Marlin
.450 Bushmaster from $2.00/rd
.45-70 Government from $1.97/rd
.50 Beowulf
Spot a data error on this page? Tell us.

Every report is checked against the agency source before we change anything.

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.