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WAFWA Update - Alberta


SHEEP STATS

JURISDICTIONAL WAFWA SUMMARIES PROVIDING IN-DEPTH, STATISTICAL SHEEP INFORMATION. 

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (RMBHS)

Populations

There are an estimated 9,000 RMBHS in Alberta (2022), of which 6,000 occur on provincial lands and 3,000 in federal National Parks. This estimate is based on minimum aerial survey counts every 2-5 years of known winter ranges. Overall, the provincial population has been stable to slightly decreasing since 2000. 
 
 

Licenses and Harvest

To be legal for harvest, rams must meet or exceed a 4/5 curl (‘Trophy Sheep’) or full curl requirement (“Full-curl Trophy Sheep”). In 2022, there were 55 special licenses available to Alberta residents through a limited entry draw/lottery system, as well as 125 outfitter allocations. In addition, 2,240 resident Albertans purchased a general license to hunt rams. This license provides an “over the counter” hunting opportunity (with 1 license/hunter and an unlimited number of licenses available). 
 
In 2022, 92 rams were harvested by resident hunters, down from an average of 121 from 2015-2022. Overall, 154 rams were harvested in 2022 by all licensed hunters (resident, non-residents, non-resident aliens), consistent with past years. 
 
Hunter success is typically 5% for resident hunters and approximately 40-50% for hunters accompanied by an outfitter. The ram harvest rate averages about 2.6% of the estimated population on provincial lands. Harvest in some sheep management areas exceeds 50-70% of available legal rams annually, with 70-90%+ of rams harvested the first year they become legal. Approximately, 30% of rams are legal by age – 65% by age 6, 85% by age 7 and 95% by age 8. The percentage of legal rams observed in aerial surveys in many areas has consistently been low (1-3%) the last 5 years or more. 
 
Ewes, or male bighorn sheep <1 year of age, can be hunted under a special license (limited entry hunt) in 27 non-trophy areas. These areas include 14 of a possible 31 wildlife management units (WMUs) with bighorn sheep. A total of 179 non-trophy sheep licenses were available in 2022, down slightly from the 2015-2022 average of 189. The non-trophy harvest rate averages about 1% of the estimated population on provincial lands.
 

Disease

Prior to February 2023, there had not been a known pneumonia outbreak in Alberta since 2000. In February 2023, 9 rams were found dead in the Sheep River Provincial Park west of Black Diamond in southern Alberta. An additional 7 rams were observed coughing and were culled by wildlife managers to prevent transmission to a nearby group of 95 bighorn ewes and young animals. A total of 13 of the 15 dead bighorn rams were PCR tested for Mycoplasma; all were positive. Of the seven animals then sequenced for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Movi), 5 were positive and 2 results are pending. A subset of bighorns in the adjacent herd of 95 were subsequently tested for Mycoplasma and all 42 were negative. Eight young rams in this herd were also radio-collared to track their movements. 
 
— Anne Hubbs, Alberta Environment and Parks
 
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