Early snow, and heavy snow for last three months, and NOW 45* and rain. This will result in a thick "crust" on top of 3+ feet of snow, giving the wolves a sweet running surface for running down game. Plus make it double hard for the Dall Sheep to access food.

quote:

Originally posted by Alaskan Sourdough:
Early snow, and heavy snow for last three months, and NOW 45* and rain. This will result in a thick "crust" on top of 3+ feet of snow, giving the wolves a sweet running surface for running down game. Plus make it double hard for the Dall Sheep to access food.

Wow, your first winter?

quote:

Originally posted by tsturm:
Wow, your first winter?

Not "EXACTLY". Seventy-fifth winter. The last Fifty-two winters in wilderness Alaska. And yourself......smartass.....???

quote:

Originally posted by Alaskan Sourdough:

quote:

Originally posted by tsturm:
Wow, your first winter?

Not "EXACTLY". Seventy-fifth winter. The last Fifty-two winters in wilderness Alaska. And yourself......smartass.....???

Only 1/3 (that's 25 in Alaska) of your vast snow thaw freeze snow knoledge

quote:

Originally posted by tsturm:
snow thaw freeze snow

This is only my 4th winter up here, and first one on the Seward Peninsula, so I am asking all you old hand: how common is it to get a warm rain during winter up here?

My first year up here I was living in the Brooks Range and we had a warm front move in during early spring. There was enough melt to cause problems when the weather returned to normal.

There were two bears near the village that lost some skin/fur, and it was surmised that they had frozen to the wet ground in their den. One bear that was killed was missing a good portion of the pads on his front paws.

Anyway, I’ve been out walking in/on the snow and ice this week, and I can tell you that it doesn’t seem like anything a hoofed(hoved?) animal would want to be looking for food in.

23 out of the last 25 here on the Kenai.
I can't tell ya about the interior.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
so I am asking all you old hand: how common is it to get a warm rain during winter up here?

The warmup and rain is common. What is not common it the amount of snow accumulation up till X-mas day. The radical warmups are so common they have a name, "Chinook". I along with about 20 people watched the temperature one New Year's Day go from 56 degrees below zero to 45 degrees above zero in 65 minutes.

It's climate change. I haven't seen significant sea ice in many years crossing over the Bering from Toksook past Attu.

This kind of weather is happening more and more. Super cold to super warm. Several of neighbor's roofs were severely damaged in a wind/rain storm in January ten years ago - followed immediately by two weeks of -5F. The frequency of those events is going to increase.

Fairbanks is shut down as of yesterday. Lots of snow followed by rain.

If anyone is not aware of the current Alaska Dall Sheep population problems. Well could be that many areas will be closed for a few years. Personally, I would like to see "ALL" Dall Sheep hunting closed till 2024.

quote:

Originally posted by Alaskan Sourdough:
If anyone is not aware of the current Alaska Dall Sheep population problems. Well could be that many areas will be closed for a few years. Personally, I would like to see "ALL" Dall Sheep hunting closed till 2024.

I definitely know about the dall sheep population problems. I haven’t heard about the closures. Which areas are closed?

No closures "YET". But likely. There is a Dall Sheep Symposium mid Jan. 22'

quote:

Originally posted by Alaskan Sourdough:

The warmup and rain is common. What is not common it the amount of snow accumulation up till X-mas day. The radical warmups are so common they have a name, "Chinook".

Valieriest Geist wrote about the chinook winds blowing through the mountains and clearing the snow. But I thought that a chinook wind was warm and dry. This weather we are having is very wet.

Maybe/hopefully the rain is falling down low and exhausting the moisture, so that the mountains are getting the warm/dry leftovers. I’m hoping so...

Join us for a virtual evening of Dall's Sheep.
January 13, 2022
A history of Dall’s sheep hunting & current research in Alaska.

Wildlife Veterinarian, Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen will present a quick review on the M. ovi research and results. Former guide and sheep researcher, Joe Want will give a brief history of sheep hunting/seasons in Alaska. ADF&G sheep research biologists Tom Lohuis and Brad Wendling will follow with updates on Chugach and Talkeetna sheep research, horn morphometric work, and an overview of Game Management Unit 20A sheep population cycles. They will conclude with future research directions and the unknowns about how sheep may respond to a warming Arctic and sub-arctic.

Please share and help spread the word.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jan 13, 2022 07:00 PM Juneau
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...xxgWLfjqw3xqN1
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

quote:

Originally posted by Alaskan Sourdough:
No closures "YET". But likely. There is a Dall Sheep Symposium mid Jan. 22'

The overall population of sheep has taken a hit and it looks like their is a number of factors at play, predators, weather, etc. Where hunting of mature rams fits into this isn’t clear to me.

Listening to the sheep biologists, it doesn’t sound like closers are at all certain.

So my question: assuming that only mature rams are hunted, leaving sub-legal rams and some mature rams to breed, how does closing hunting help the overall population?

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:


So my question: assuming that only mature rams are hunted, leaving sub-legal rams and some mature rams to breed, how does closing hunting help the overall population?

Well for one thing there is a very high number of Sub-Legal sheep shot every year now, that "percentage" would increase because of frustration and desperation. They "may" not have a choice in some areas. If they do close some areas, it will magnify the pressure in the remaining open areas.

A big factor is wolves, the wolves don't do a sheep count, and then only harvest a percentage they think is manageable. If they have been killing 64 sheep a year in a herd of 556 sheep, and the total sheep count drops to 263 from starvation, those wolves still need roughly 64 sheep. In two years, that herd is past being in trouble relative the growing wolf population.

Now factor in the Coyotes, Golden Eagles, Lynx have taste for lamb meat. It is just really easy to get "behind" the curve in game management.

I was talking to Kevin Hurley who is the head biologist for the Wild Sheep Foundation and he mirrored a lot of what has already been said about sheep numbers in Alaska being in trouble.

I flew up into the south central mountians last week after the rain and there is minimal snow. Less than 2’ the mountians are mostly wind blown and there was no evidence of any rain. In the areas I checked the sheep should be doing just fine.

quote:

Originally posted by Fourtyonesix:
I flew up into the south central mountians last week after the rain and there is minimal snow. Less than 2’ the mountians are mostly wind blown and there was no evidence of any rain. In the areas I checked the sheep should be doing just fine.

That is really, really good to hear. I hope they do well this winter.

I live at sea level and our area is one big ice rink. Literally... The sleet froze as soon as it hit the ground and we have an inch of ice on to of the snow. I’m a newbie, but even the old timers say that they haven’t seen this before. The neighborhood kids are ice skating in the streets. The playground at school has 8’ of snow built up, with a layer of ice on top of that. The wind has been blowing like you wouldn’t believe. My daughter got caught out in it while taking the dog out before school yesterday, and with how slick the ice is she got blown across the street and had a tough time getting back to the house. Even our springer couldn’t get enough traction to make headway. I doubt she will go out without her spikes again.

I wouldn’t want to be a caribou or moose living out is these conditions.

quote:

Originally posted by Alaskan Sourdough:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JBrown:

A big factor is wolves, the wolves don't do a sheep count, and then only harvest a percentage they think is manageable. If they have been killing 64 sheep a year in a herd of 556 sheep, and the total sheep count drops to 263 from starvation, those wolves still need roughly 64 sheep. In two years, that herd is past being in trouble relative the growing wolf population.

All the studies done in Alaska and the Yukon found that wolves living in sheep country and preying mainly on sheep have a hard time making a living. They don't control sheep numbers. Biologists know that hunters often confuse the FACT of predation with the EFFECT of predation.

quote:

Originally posted by vicvanb:

All the studies done in Alaska and the Yukon found that wolves living in sheep country and preying mainly on sheep have a hard time making a living. They don't control sheep numbers. Biologists know that hunters often confuse the FACT of predation with the EFFECT of predation.

Who......"EXACTLY" in the thread stated, THAT WOLVES CONTROL SHEEP NUMBERS....???
I listed "SEVERAL" factors, of which one is wolves. And that was in response to the direct and indirect effect snow/rain on snow/ and ice impacts sheep.

quote:

Originally posted by vicvanb:

quote:

Originally posted by Alaskan Sourdough:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JBrown:

A big factor is wolves, the wolves don't do a sheep count, and then only harvest a percentage they think is manageable. If they have been killing 64 sheep a year in a herd of 556 sheep, and the total sheep count drops to 263 from starvation, those wolves still need roughly 64 sheep. In two years, that herd is past being in trouble relative the growing wolf population.

All the studies done in Alaska and the Yukon found that wolves living in sheep country and preying mainly on sheep have a hard time making a living. They don't control sheep numbers. Biologists know that hunters often confuse the FACT of predation with the EFFECT of predation.

The same biologists that have created the antler-less hunts all around Fairbanks? Killing cows, some of which are pregnant already, amounts to killing bulls too.

Flew rainy pass to rohn area yesterday. There are almost no wind blown mountians. Even the cliffs have snow and ice stuck to them. Down in the valley the crust was almost thick enough to walk on. I saw zero tracks of sheep.

quote:

Originally posted by tsturm:

quote:

Originally posted by Alaskan Sourdough:

quote:

Originally posted by tsturm:
Wow, your first winter?

Not "EXACTLY". Seventy-fifth winter. The last Fifty-two winters in wilderness Alaska. And yourself......smartass.....???

Only 1/3 (that's 25 in Alaska) of your vast snow thaw freeze snow knoledge

You handled that punch to your nose quite well. As a geezer myself, laughing out loud, You MIGHT even have potential...

quote:

Originally posted by copperlake:
You handled that punch to your nose quite well. As a geezer myself, laughing out loud, You MIGHT even have potential...

Actually, near geezer at 63 and the last 25 Kenai Peninsula freeze thaw cycles (like this week)

& that was no punch to my nose

Welcome to earth boys
Remember when Trex was around and no snow on both poles?

Winter kill is a reality that one as to put up with in snow country.


But it can be highly variable around a state.

You're lucky the weather is so yucky, otherwise half of California would move up there.