Section 220-415-120 - 2024 Bighorn sheep seasons, permit quotas, and areas(1) It is unlawful to fail to comply with the provisions of this section. A violation of species, sex, size, number, area, season, or eligibility requirements is punishable under RCW 77.15.410, Unlawful hunting of big game-Penalty.(2)Bighorn Sheep Permit Hunts(a)Who May Apply: Anyone may apply, EXCEPT those who previously harvested a bighorn sheep in Washington state. An individual may only harvest one bighorn ram during his or her lifetime. However, this restriction is waived for hunters who have previously harvested a bighorn sheep under a ewe-only, juvenile ram, raffle, or auction permit, as well as for applications for a ewe-only, juvenile ram, raffle, or auction permit.(b)Bag Limit: One (1) bighorn sheep except where otherwise permitted by department rule, even if permits are drawn for more than one bighorn sheep hunt category. Hunt Name | Permit Season | Permit Hunt Boundary Description | Special Restrictions | Permits |
Any ram |
Cleman Mountain | Oct. 1-31 | Sheep Unit 7 | Any Legal Weapon | 4 |
Lincoln Cliffs | Sept. 15 - Oct. 10 | Sheep Unit 12 | Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
Quilomene | Oct. 1-31 | Sheep Unit 13 | Any Legal Weapon | 3 |
Swakane | Sept. 15 - Oct. 10 | Sheep Unit 14 | Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
Manson | Nov. 9-30 | Sheep Unit 16 | Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
Chelan Butte A | Sept. 15 - Oct. 10 | Sheep Unit 18 | Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
Chelan Butte B | Oct. 11 - Nov. 15 | Sheep Unit 18 | Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
Wenaha | Sept. 15 - Oct. 10 | GMU 169 | Any Legal Weapon | 1 |
Mountain View - Black Butte | Sept. 15 - Oct. 10 | GMU 172, portions of GMU 181, GMU 186 | Any Legal Weapon | 1 |
Adult ewe |
Lincoln Cliffs Whitestone Unit | Sept. 15-30 | Sheep Unit 20 Whitestone | Adult ewe only Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
Chelan Butte | Sept. 15 - Oct. 10 | Sheep Unit 18 | Adult ewe only Any Legal Weapon | 1 |
Swakane | Oct. 11-31 | Sheep Unit 14 | Adult ewe only Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
Youth |
Hunters with Disabilities |
Chelan Butte A | Oct. 11-31 | Sheep Unit 18 | Adult ewe only Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
Chelan Butte B | Oct. 11-31 | Sheep Unit 18 | Juvenile ram onlya Any Legal Weapon | 2 |
See subsection (3) of this section Bighorn Sheep Units for detailed legal descriptions of these hunt area boundaries.
a A juvenile ram is defined as a male bighorn sheep having at least one "unbroomed" horn that does not extend past an imaginary line beginning at the point on the animal's forehead where the front of the horn base adjoins the skull, and continuing downwards and in a posterior direction through the posterior edge of the eye. All reference points are based on viewing the ram directly from a 90 degree angle from which the head is facing. A "broomed" horn is defined as a sheep horn that has been broken, splintered, frayed or rubbed in the wild, thus shortening its length and disrupting its natural taper.
(3)Bighorn Sheep Units:(a)Sheep Unit 2 Vulcan Mountain: Permit Area: Ferry County north of the Kettle River near Curlew.(b)Sheep Unit 4 Selah Butte: Permit Area: That part of GMU 340 east of the Yakima River.(c)Sheep Unit 4A Selah Butte North: Permit Area: That part of GMU 340 east of the Yakima River and north of Lmuma Creek.(d)Sheep Unit 4B Mount Baldy: Permit Area: That part of GMU 340 east of the Yakima River, south of Lmuma Creek and north of Burbank Creek.(e)Sheep Unit 4C Selah Butte South: Permit Area: That part of GMU 340 east of the Yakima River and south of Burbank Creek.(f)Sheep Unit 5 Umtanum: Permit Area: Those portions of GMU 340 west of the Yakima River and GMU 342 north of Wenas Creek.(g)Sheep Unit 5A Umtanum North: Permit Area: Beginning at the Powerline Crossing the Yakima River in Section 11 of T17N, R18E; then south down the Yakima River to Roza Creek; then west up Roza Creek to the powerline; then north along the powerline to the point of beginning.(h)Sheep Unit 5B Umtanum South: Permit Area: Beginning where Ro-za Creek enters the Yakima River, then down the Yakima River to the powerline crossing in Section 17 of T14N, R19E; then north on the powerline to Roza Creek; then east down Roza Creek to the point of beginning.(i)Sheep Unit 7 Cleman Mountain: Permit Area: GMU 346 and that part of GMU 342 south of Wenas Creek.(j)Sheep Unit 10 Mt. Hull: Permit Area: That part of Okanogan County within the following described boundary: Beginning at Oroville; then south along U.S. Highway 97 to the Swanson's Mill Road (old Mt. Hull Road) near Lake Andrews; then east to the Dry Gulch Road; then north to the Oroville Toroda Creek Road (Molson Grade Road); then west to Oroville and the point of beginning.(k)Sheep Unit 12 Lincoln Cliffs: Permit Area: That part of Lincoln County north of Highway 2.(l)Sheep Unit 13 Quilomene: Permit Area: GMUs 329, 330, and that part of 251 east of Squilchuck Creek and south of Colockum Creek.(m)Sheep Unit 14 Swakane: Permit Area: GMU 250.(n)Sheep Unit 15 Tieton: Permit Area: GMU 360.(o)Sheep Unit 16 Manson: Permit Area: Beginning at the mouth of Granite Falls Creek on the south shore of Lake Chelan, E across Lake Chelan to Willow Point; NW along the shoreline of Lake Chelan to the mouth of Stink Creek; E along Stink Creek to the intersection with Green's Landing Road; along Green's Landing Road to Manson Boulevard; E on Manson Boulevard to Lower Joe Creek Road; NE on Lower Joe Creek Road to Grade Creek Road; NE on Grade Creek Road to US Forest Service Road 8210; NE on US Forest Service Road 8210 to intersection with US Forest Service Road 8020; W on US Forest Service Road 8020 to Fox Peak; NW along Sawtooth Ridge (Chelan-Okanogan County Line) to the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area boundary; S along the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area boundary to shore line of Lake Chelan; W across Lake Chelan to the mouth of Riddle Creek on the South Shore; SE along South Shore of Lake Chelan to the point of beginning.(p)Sheep Unit 18 Chelan Butte: Permit Area: Beginning at the intersection of State Hwy 971 and US Hwy 97A, S to the W shoreline of the Columbia River, N along the W shoreline of the Columbia River for 21 miles to the mouth of Antoine Creek, W up Antoine Creek to where it crosses Apple Acres Rd, W on Apple Acres Rd to the intersection with Washington Creek Rd (US Forest Service Rd 8135), N on Washington Creek Rd to its end and then follow Washington Creek, W on Washington Creek to where it crosses US Forest Service Rd 8010, S on US Forest Service Rd 8010 (transitions into Purtteman Creek Rd) to Purtteman Gulch, S into Purtteman Gulch to the N shoreline of Lake Chelan, S along the shoreline to the S shoreline of Lake Chelan to the mouth of First Creek, S up First Creek to the intersection of State Hwy 971 (Navarre Coulee Rd), S on State Hwy 971 to the point of beginning.(q)Sheep Unit 19 Sinlahekin: Beginning at the eastern boundary of the Pasayten Wilderness border and the US-Canadian border; E on the US-Canadian border to the border station on Similkameen Rd (Co. Rd 4568); SE on the Similkameen Rd (Co. Rd 4568) to the Loomis-Oroville Rd (Co. Rd 9425); E on the Loomis-Oroville Rd (Co. Rd 9425) to US Hwy 97 in Oroville; S on US Hwy 97 to 12th Ave; W on 12th Ave (it curves S and changes to Old Highway 97); S on Old Highway 97 to US Hwy 97; S on US Hwy 97 to the South Pine Creek Rd (Co. Rd 9410); W on the South Pine Creek Rd (Co. Rd 9410) to Fish Lake Rd (Co. Rd 4290); W on Fish Lake Rd (Co. Rd 4290) to South Fish Lake Rd (Co. Rd 4282), along the south shore of Fish Lake; SW on South Fish Lake Rd (Co. Rd 4282), to the Sinlahekin Rd (Co. Rd 4015); SW on the Sinlahekin Rd (Co. Rd 4015), along the north shore of Conconully Lake, to the Salmon Creek North Fork Rd (Co. Rd 2361), at the town of Conconully; N on US Forest Service Rd 38 (Salmon Creek North Fork Rd, Co. Rd 2361) to US Forest Service Rd 3820; N on US Forest Service Rd 3820 over Lone Frank Pass, to US Forest Service Rd 39; N on US Forest Service Rd 39 to the US Forest Service Rd 300 at Long Swamp trailhead; W on the US Forest Service Rd 300 to US Forest Service Trail 342; N on US Forest Service Trail 342 to US Forest Service Trail 343; E on US Forest Service Trail 343 to US Forest Service Trail 341; E on US Forest Service Trail 341 to US Forest Service Trail 375; E on US Forest Service Trail 375 to the eastern boundary of the Pasayten Wilderness Area; N on the Pasayt-en Wilderness Area boundary to the US-Canadian border and the point of beginning.(r)Sheep Unit 20 Whitestone: Starting at the intersection of Mount View Rd and US Highway 2; W on US Highway 2 to the Lincoln County Line; N on the Lincoln County Line to the Lincoln County Line in the Columbia River; E up the Columbia River to Halverson Canyon; S and W up Halverson Canyon to Mount View Rd; S on Mount View Rd to US Highway 2 and the point of the beginning.(s)Sheep Unit 21 Lincoln: Starting at the intersection of Mount View Rd and US Highway 2; E on US Highway 2 to the Lincoln County Line; N on the Lincoln County Line to the Lincoln County Line in the Spokane River; W down the Spokane River to the Columbia River; W down the Columbia River to Halverson Canyon; S and W up Halverson Canyon to Mount View Rd; S on Mount View Rd to US Highway 2 and the point of the beginning.(t)Mountain View - Black Butte: GMUs 172, 186; portions of GMU 181 (south of the line made by starting at Montgomery Ridge Road and Highway 129 to the Sherry Grade Road to the Couse Creek Road to the Snake River).Wash. Admin. Code § 220-415-120
Decodified by WSR 17-10-076, Filed 5/3/2017, effective 6/3/2017 Recodified from § 232-28-622Amended by WSR 18-11-061, Filed 5/11/2018, effective 6/11/2018Amended by WSR 19-10-011, Filed 4/19/2019, effective 5/20/2019Amended by WSR 20-12-080, Filed 6/1/2020, effective 7/2/2020Amended by WSR 21-14-022, Filed 6/28/2021, effective 7/29/2021Amended by WSR 22-15-096, Filed 7/19/2022, effective 8/19/2022Amended by WSR 23-11-118, Filed 5/22/2023, effective 6/22/2023Amended by WSR 24-11-029, Filed 5/7/2024, effective 6/7/2024