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In March 2014, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) designated "critical habitat" for jaguars (panthera onca) in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Critical habitat is a legal designation under the Endangered Species Act. Federal agencies are required to conduct additional consultation with the USFWS before conducting or funding any project within the designated geographic critical habitat area in order to prevent adverse modification or destruction of habitat critical to the survival of an endangered species. The primary land use in the area designated as critical habitat for jaguars is ranching. Most ranchers in this region rely on a combination of private and public lands for grazing, with federal grazing permits making up the majority of many ranches. During the public comment phase of the critical habitat rulemaking process, some ranchers expressed concerns that the designation of critical habitat could limit or end public lands grazing. We conducted a multi-method study to understand the attitudes of ranchers in the region toward the jaguar critical habitat designation, endangered species regulations generally, and incentive-based approaches to endangered species management in the region. Data was developed through in-depth interviews, a written survey, and extension workshops that included focus groups. We found participants in our study are more concerned about how new endangered species regulations may impact their operations than they are about depredation impacts from increased jaguar presence; many of the participants are interested in incentive-based conservation approaches, depending on regulatory assurances and funding sources; and an overall commitment to wildlife conservation and range management. We will present the results of our study and discuss implications for endangered species management on public and private lands.