Dall's Sheep

NPS/Kyle Joly

Dall's sheep, a northern relative of the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, are the world’s only wild, white sheep, occurring only in the mountainous regions of Alaska and the Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada. Typically, sheep are found year-round at relatively high elevations in rugged terrain in which they can evade predators, such as wolves. In Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Dall's sheep occur within the Charley River basin and across the Ogilvie Mountains along the eastern boundary of the Preserve. The sheep that inhabit the Charley River basin are part of the Yukon-Tanana Uplands population that extends from the Canadian boundary to the White Mountains northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The sheep population within the Yukon-Tanana Uplands is relatively small and isolated compared to larger populations found in higher elevation mountains in areas like the Alaska and Brooks Ranges. The Charley Basin population (about 300 sheep is the long-term average) makes up about a quarter of all the sheep that reside within the Yukon-Tanana Uplands.

Although Dall's sheep occur at relatively low densities within Charley River Basin, female sheep (ewes) and their offspring (lambs) can often be observed on the bluffs along the Charley River, part of the National Wild and Scenic River system. The south facing, 1000-foot cliffs above the Charley River provide a perfect mix of both food and escape terrain. This combination allows sheep to forage and avoid predators and is ideal habitat for ewes to give birth in spring and raise their lambs. In fact, more than a third of the Preserve’s sheep are raised along the Charley River.

The small population of sheep found within the Ogilvie Mountains makes up just a sliver of a much larger population that extends into the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The vast Yukon River lies between the two Yukon-Charley Rivers Dall sheep populations.

Dall's sheep have been monitored by NPS staff since the 1980’s. Read the latest (2023) survey report.
Information included in these reports includes population size, recruitment, and sex and age structure. These data can be used to identify changes in population trajectory and inform management of this regularly hunted population. The latest survey documented a major decline in sheep abundance and all hunting has been suspended to help allow the population to recover.

 

Learn about Dall's Sheep Monitoring in Yukon-Charley Rivers