Collar signal sends state biologists to a Dall sheep kill site in the Alaska Range

A GPS collar on a healthy adult Dall sheep ram in the Alaska Range foothills switched to a mortality signal, sending state biologists flying out of Fairbanks the next day to a kill site full of clues.

Mike Taras details the investigation in Alaska Fish and Wildlife News, published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The carcass carried signs consistent with a bear killing the sheep near cover. "It likely happened quickly as the sheep was only a few yards from where the bear had cover to remain hidden," the department wrote.

Speed matters. "When a mortality signal is detected, we investigate as quickly as possible," the department said in a research handout, since scavenging and decomposition erase evidence fast.

Collared sheep die from causes including avalanches, predation, disease and falls, with some never assigned. In a 2024 symposium paper on Chugach, Talkeetna and North Wrangell mortality, biologist Tom Lohuis reported that mortality rates in recent years have accelerated to nearly triple the study's longer-term rates and have contributed to population declines. The same research reported winter mortality as high as 29% among collared sheep in the Talkeetna Mountains during 2021-2022.

The full-curl general season opened Aug. 10 and runs through Sept. 20. New this year, the Alaska Board of Game requires every general-season full-curl hunter to complete an online orientation course and score 20 of 20 on its quiz, a one-time lifetime requirement, and carry proof of completion in the field.