In 1939, a group of Boy Scouts concerned about the decline of desert bighorn sheep wrote President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The result was the establishment of Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge to conserve the sheep and their habitat. Cabeza Prieta, Spanish for "dark (or dirty) head," refers to a lava-topped, granite peak in a remote mountain range in the western corner of the refuge. Each year since 1968, the refuge has offered the chance to hunt desert bighorn for those lucky enough to draw one of the limited tags. Access on this 860,000-acre refuge is difficult with 93 percent of the refuge designated as wilderness and only three public access roads. Other hunting opportunities include mule deer, mountain lion, quail, dove, rabbit, coyote, bobcat, and fox according to refuge-specific regulations. Hunters should be prepared for a lot of hiking across rugged terrain. Conditions in the Sonoran Desert can vary widely, with winter lows approaching freezing and summer highs exceeding 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Average annual rainfall ranges from 7 inches on the east side of the refuge to 3 inches on the west side. With no permanent source of water on the refuge, hunters should bring plenty of water, a reliable high-clearance vehicle, and spare tires.
