AK Sheep, Population Observations

[Doc Holliday]

“Warm” winters are bad for sheep. Cold winters, being what they evolved to deal with, are good for sheep.

As such, trending towards consistently warmer winters, aka global warming, will continue to be hard on sheep populations.

Until global warming reaches the point where it doesn’t snow at all up here and we are all hanging out in short pants in December that is.

So either cold dry snow that doesn't melt, or no snow is what you want

 

[ColeyG]

So either cold dry snow that doesn't melt, or no snow is what you want

Doesn’t seem like too much to ask ma nature for, does it?

 

[VernAK]

With the current weather conditions here in Delta, I suspect sheep populations. as well as moose and caribou, are going to take a serious hit. Delta has received nearly another 2 feet of snow and now it's raining quite hard. Healy appears to be getting similar weather.

I suspect there will be buildings collapsing as the snow is saturated with rain water. Many areas are without power.

This is really extreme weather for north of the range.

 

[william schmaltz]

Last I saw for Fairbanks called for 0.5-1 inch of rain after a foot of snow. The radar a bit ago was showing heavy rain and sleet south of Fairbanks into the AK range. Still nothing down here in the valley, but says rain starting in a couple hours and lasting all night. Hopefully it stays cold enough up high, but a sheet of ice on top of several feet of snow already on the ground with 4 month of winter remaining is not what we needed this year.

This falls under the what happens if global warming is real comment above.

 

[Clarktar]

Pretty warm on rendezvous peak (Arctic valley) just an hour ago. 42 degrees.

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[VernAK]

Delta's only grocery store, IGA, suffered a partially collapsed roof this morning with rain/weight continuing to build. Rumors have it at a total loss.

I was fortunate to find a young and strong neighbor lad and we got much of the load off my house and boat shed. Two more days of this predicted.

 

[Sourdough]

In addition to thwarting access to food, when this rain sets up a thick crust when the temperature drops, the wolves well have a near perfect running surface to run down big game.

 

[Homer]

The 3/4 of an inch of ice in the alaska range surely won’t do the sheep any favors. It still seems crazy to me guides will book 3 years out with no idea what the sheep population will look like.

 

[jhm2023]

Fairbanks has been getting dumped on since the 18th and now it's been 38 above and raining all day. Delta area doesn't seem to be doing much better. Talking to people that Tok was just getting snow and wind. Hopefully the Brooks is doing decent, that range needs a break from bad winters.

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[Snyd]

Yup, the Pineapple Express hit us. It's been a few years since we had one. It's nothing new really. Usually they hit the west coast. Sometimes they swoop up to various parts of AK.

 

[ColeyG]

Freezing level and rain up to 6K in some areas in southcentral. Definitely not a good thing for the critters. The weather did make it a lot easier to find the leak in my roof that I didn't know I had though, so that has been a fun project over the holiday "break."

 

[VernAK]

Friends saw Dall Sheep on the Richardson Highway by Black Rapids. I sure don't like to hear that.

 

[Htm84]

Friends saw Dall Sheep on the Richardson Highway by Black Rapids. I sure don't like to hear that.

Curios why? I’m guessing down low this early or just this low in general makes them more susceptible to predators?

 

[kwackkillncrew]

I dont know much about sheep other then i normally see them up high. I would guess they are coming down because they cant get food up in the mountains? only predators they have this time of year would be wolves.

 

[Sourdough]

Curios why? I’m guessing down low this early or just this low in general makes them more susceptible to predators?

This "might" be a partial reason. Minerals, salt, calcium chloride, etc... We have Mt. Goats on the Hope Road (sometimes) in years past a fair amount of them were hit and killed by the DOT snowplows, clearing the highway.

Here they come down and cross the Hope Road to the shore of Turnagain Arm, where they lick the rocks for the minerals. There are Dall Sheep on the Seward Hwy. south of Anchorage, especially in the spring. I've even seen dead ones on the Hwy. and shoulder, most likely hit by vehicles.

 

[VernAK]

We are just winding down from the worst storm on record here with huge amounts of snow....3'.....with a strong rain on top that has froze. Our moose and caribou as well as sheep are coming out on the roads for easy walking. Obviously there is no food on the road. I suspect winter kill will be very extreme.

 

[alexanderg23]

We are just winding down from the worst storm on record here with huge amounts of snow....3'.....with a strong rain on top that has froze. Our moose and caribou as well as sheep are coming out on the roads for easy walking. Obviously there is no food on the road. I suspect winter kill will be very extreme.

Getting rough down here in the valley as well. Roof's blowing off left and right.

Any guesses on mountain ranges to avoid this year?

 

[BrooksRanger]

Probably should avoid all of them this year. JK.

It will be interesting to hear what the ADF&G puts out in their meeting on the 13th. I suspect they will be speaking to this year’s winter weather and probable winter kill.

 

[cubdriver84d]

Skimmed this thread and didn't see it, but apologies if I missed it -- Here's the JOMH podcast with Tom Lohuis, Paul Forward, and Roman Dial discussing their research on climate change and sheep. https://journalofmountainhunting.co...-with-paul-forward-roman-dial-and-tom-lohuis/

AK chapter of BHA also hosted these guys on a zoom seminar last month. I suspect Tom will be discussing some of the same things in the upcoming ADFG meeting https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=215812407406010&set=a.158420316478553

 

[VernAK]

I'm finally getting a few reports on the extent of the rain/ice storm in DCUA and 20A [wood river] country.

Here in the valley at Delta we have 2' of snow covered with 2" of very strong ice with another foot of snow on top of that. The moose and bison in the valley are in trouble already.

TMA does not seem to be affected by the rain/ice but the North side of DCUA is and it seems to extend across the North face of the Alaska Range in 20A. Black Rapids and South does not seem to have the rain/ice but snow is very deep.

There was some rain in the very eastern Wrangells also.

It's a long time until spring and it's anyone's guess what wildlife mortality will be.