Management of bighorn sheep in Alberta is not based on science
June 1, 2017
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June 2017 Wildlands Advocate article, by Dr. Marco Festa-Bianchet
Alberta is home to about 10,000 bighorn sheep. Of these, nearly all the 7,000 or so that are not on provincial lands are subject to sport harvest. There are two kinds of hunting permits: ‘non-trophy’ and trophy permits. Non-trophy permits are issued by lottery with local quotas. The number of non-trophy permits peaked at over 1,000 in the mid-1980’s. Since then between 200 and 350 permits are generally issued annually. If your non-trophy application is drawn, you can take either a ewe or a lamb. As for trophy permits, an unlimited number are available to Alberta residents and an additional 70 to 80 trophy permits are sold to non-resident hunters. Non-residents must purchase the services of a guide.
