Alaska Should Transplant Sheep Again?

[kaboku68]

A couple of notable things. Dall's sheep populations are on the decline in alaska. Mt. Goat populations are fantastic and this may be the golden era for Goat hunting. I would love for the introduction of a couple of things. 1) Reintroduce Rocky Mountain Elk to areas in 13, 12, 20 and 21. There was a Rocky Mt. Elk population in Alaska 33,000 years ago. I think that they would do well and I think it would be another species that could adapt to changing conditions. 2) Tahr and Chamois. The conditions in the SC and W parts of the state could well support these animals. They would do well in zones that the Alders are creeping into and I think that especially Tahr would do well with the increased snow levels. I do not think that they would cause problems as much as spread hunting to other species. Mountain hunters would have additional species to hunt and I believe that Dall's Sheep would be in different areas that are less rocky.

 

[Redmammut]

The board can not change statute. The only animals considered for intensive management are moose and caribou and it's based on subsistence needs. Sheep would need to be added to that list before they can authorize predator management (which the BOG can do under certain triggers). Sheep are not a primary source of subsistence for 99% of the residents, so getting them added to the list would require a separate reason.

Adding sheep to that list would be a board of game proposal to the statewide cycle (due may 1). The specific Regulation is 5 AAC 92.106. All the criteria the board uses evaluate a species is laid out in that regulation.

Again its a regulation, not a statute, so the BOG has authority to change it.

 

[johnnycake]

This is the fatalist approach I already addressed. Of course the weather is an issue that can't be changed!

The proactive solution is to DO something to counter act the negative weather events. Some weather events could reduce a population below a viable number, where recovery is impossible- thus the restocking idea.

That is proactive hopium, not a proactive "solution". Show me a study where any action taken that could apply to AK dall sheep would have a measurable positive impact to "counter act the negative weather events". You could theoretically literally burn piles of money throughout key areas to create warming bonfires to melt heavy wet snow in the spring. That would be DOING something I guess, but would hardly be an effective use of resources. The mentality of "we just need to do SOMETHING" is a fantastic way to waste money, time, and at best not make things worse (but even that is not always the case).

 

[wildwilderness]

That is proactive hopium, not a proactive "solution". Show me a study where any action taken that could apply to AK dall sheep would have a measurable positive impact to "counter act the negative weather events". You could theoretically literally burn piles of money throughout key areas to create warming bonfires to melt heavy wet snow in the spring. That would be DOING something I guess, but would hardly be an effective use of resources. The mentality of "we just need to do SOMETHING" is a fantastic way to waste money, time, and at best not make things worse (but even that is not always the case).

Whose money are you worried about burning?

I stated WSF, individuals, businesses with interest in sheep conservation can choose to spend their own $$ if the state would allow them do their own sheep improvements.

How about the State Conduct a study to see what would help sheep? How about see if minerals would increase ewe fertility and lamb survival? Or see if killing off a few eagles would help? (Look at WY for sticking it to the feds on trying to protect not endangered species) Or a study of what the minimum viable population density of Dall sheep needs to be to grow? Maybe a study to see what could boost that recovery time?

The state complains there is no study to back anything up then won’t do the study… go figure

 

[Snyd]

Not defending nor bashing WSF but from the mouth of a board member, when they donate money to ADFG it goes into the general fund. There is no way for them to earmark money for sheep or sheep research. The state won’t allow them to take on any conservation efforts of their own so they’ve talked about putting a bounty on wolves similar to the one going on down south. What else can they do? Seriously.

To defend the state, they’ve done more than we have on this or any forum. This winter they opened aerial wolf control in 13 & 16. In 13 they’ve taken around 100 wolves. One family alone has taken 49, then next best is a single guy who’s sitting around 35. In unit 16 they’ve taken around 50 last I heard. Talk all the poo you want about guides but they’re the ones doing it. Their own av gas, their own time. No one is paying them.

Get off the keyboards and touch grass/snow FFS. Go hunt predators. Even if you aren’t successful, it’s a great way to stay in shape over the winter.

Don’t let bitching about what we can’t do stop you from doing what we can.

How many wolves have we (forum members collectively) killed this winter? Myself personally, I should be at 2. World’s biggest gaff having our guns strapped to packs when a double came in. Aubrey will never let me live that one down.

Yup....
And then there are the Coyotes and the ones we can't touch.... Golden Eagles.


"Eagles and coyotes are the primary predators of Dall sheep lambs..."

Alaska’s Most Powerful Bird of Prey, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Wildlife News is an online magazine published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game

www.adfg.alaska.gov

 

[Trial153]

One thing that needs to be dispelled is Sheep in NWT, Yukon and BC are doing much better than Alaska. Despite what the people selling 45-80 k hunts in Canada say there are some areas that are seeing similar declines as Alaska

 

[ColeyG]

One thing that needs to be dispelled is Sheep in NWT, Yukon and BC are doing much better than Alaska. Despite what the people selling 45-80 k hunts in Canada say there are some areas that are seeing similar declines as Alaska

True. And most of the guides that operate there are trying really hard to keep that quiet.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Yup....
And then there are the Coyotes and the ones we can't touch.... Golden Eagles.


"Eagles and coyotes are the primary predators of Dall sheep lambs..."

Alaska’s Most Powerful Bird of Prey, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Wildlife News is an online magazine published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game

www.adfg.alaska.gov

Eagles
before aoudad displaced our BHS , we would watch golden eagles knock lambs off the cliffs then dive down and eat them, same with pronghorn fawns on the prairie
lots of folks who raise sheep and goats out in west Texas shoot Eagles on sight
I haven’t seen a eagle in years around big lake Texas or marfa

 

[Snyd]

Very in depth long article. I've waded through most of it. Bottom line is they now figure there are a lot more Golden Eagles in AK than they thought.

9 Nov 2021

"By extrapolating across the species' nesting range in Alaska (1,180,489 km2) and incorporating published productivity and age-specific survival rates for eagles <4 yr old into our hierarchical model, we estimated 12,717 (95% credible interval: 9043, 16,349) Golden Eagles of all ages occur in Alaska, annually. We propose this as a conservative statewide population estimate because we used methods that likely underestimated population size. Even so, our estimate is three to five times larger than previous estimates and likely represents about one quarter of the USA's population."

Golden Eagle Abundance in Alaska: Migration Counts and Movement Data Generate a Conservative Population Estimate

Estimating species density and abundance is challenging but important for establishing conservation and management strategies. Significant progress has been made toward estimating Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) abundance in the conterminous United States of America (USA) but much less is known...

bioone.org

 

[medvedyt]

Salmon management isn't perfect but it's an extremely complicated issue with tons of competing financial interest and undercutting regulations by other countries, not to mention the effects of climate change. Caribou populations boom and bust beyond our management abilities. What do you propose we do about it?

for sure in the history of the salmon canada is responsible for what is happening .... nothing to do with commercial fishery that never stopped until it was too late ... funny to see how it will end as canada will not release fry salmon because of alaska not interested to stop fishing despite low level ...

for caribou interesting to read what are you thought on canadian interventions ...

 

[medvedyt]

True. And most of the guides that operate th

One thing that needs to be dispelled is Sheep in NWT, Yukon and BC are doing much better than Alaska. Despite what the people selling 45-80 k hunts in Canada say there are some areas that are seeing similar declines as Alaska

ere are trying really hard to keep that quiet.

well for sure some aeras are in decline like over here but we wont do anything before it is too late ... like outfitters selling fannin as stone ...

 

[MntHunter]

Have annual burns, focus on killing predators, put out minerals.

Its not perfect but doing those 3 things will make a difference.

 

[FAAFO]

Easy way to improve sheep habitat is Fire. More grasses and forbs grow after a fire and it kills the woody brush. That’s a super easy one if areas that could use a burn.

Many outfitters in British Columbia run huge salt licks on their concessions. Lambing in these area have been observed to have significantly higher survival rates, that’s on top of higher fertility rates in the ewes. So more lambs AND more of them surviving.

The big argument against it is that it could increase the transmission of disease. This has not been observed or proven though in areas that it occurs.



None of this would cost the State Any money at all! That’s the frustrating part. Private sector - the outfitters, WSF, individuals would all donate time and effort to light a fire and let it burn, and stock mineral supplements easy.

All that has to happen is for the laws to change to make it legal.

Does Alaska have a voter proposition option to change or make state law? The anti hunters use it to stop hunting, Can it be used to help in Alaska?

What’s your thoughts on sublegal harvest, especially by youth…

 

[medvedyt]

Now if someone wants to grab up a few conex loads of sheep from the Yukon or NWT and cut them loose up here, we might be onto something.

we ar eon the declining side as well in the Yukon i doubt you will get any and we love to share our animals when we can ...

 

[Mojave]

The way it's been explained to me is that WSF is willing to do or fund about anything to help recover sheep populations in the state. The problem is that it's not up to WSF, it's up to ADFG to come up with the plan. WSF can not come up with a plan for ADFG to use to help sheep due so some state regulations apparently.

I am not a biologist but I can think of many things the state could be doing to help sheep populations and none of them are new.

Just take a look at what they've been doing for all the other species of sheep in other parts of North America.

They are putting out minerals for stone sheep and it's great for ewe and lamp survival which is more important for populations.
They are relocating bighorns all over the lower 48 to grow numbers. Nebraska, Washington, North Dakota, and more.

WSF has been dumping money into bighorns, stones, and deserts with success. It's not that they don't care about dall sheep it's just that the state isn't coming up with anything to fund.

Seems like ADFG is way behind the times for sheep conservation and the they can't seem to get out of their own way. The knowledgeable people don't want to work there anymore because they're restricted and the pay sucks. Too much politics, regulation, and oversight is what I'd guess.

I haven't been around as long as many others have but it seems to me like some sheep areas in the state are too far gone for natural hunt able recovery in the next 5 to 10 years. I think the best thing we can do is supply minerals to help lamb recruitment and start building a healthy population to eventually transplant sheep from to areas where they will soon be near nonexistent as hard as it is to say.

Kuiu self funded sheep projects in a few states. Maybe this is more of a private endeavor. Obviously the state game agencies played. But maybe this should be the push.