Dall sheep inhabit Alaska’s mountain ranges and are found in the highest, most rugged peaks and cliffs in the Central Alaska region. They typically inhabit semi-open, steep terrain with rocky slopes, ridges, and cliffs or rugged canyons; dry mountainous terrain, subalpine grass-low shrub communities. They are mainly present in alpine habitats including low shrub areas and forage on a variety of vegetation such as forbs and grasses during summer. During winter when vegetation is sparse, sheep seek out locations with shallow snow and increased forage accessibility. Winter forage consists of grasses, sedge stems, and lichens and mosses exposed on windblown slopes.

Total Annual Range of Dall Sheep

Polygon ranges of Dall sheep in Alaska were digitized from the 1985 ADFG Habitat Management Guide and modified in 2015 by ADFG to reflect updates in known sheep ranges. This version of Dall sheep range was modified based on known occurrences of Dall sheep to serve as a more accurate boundary for the conversion of a potential habitat distribution to a realized habitat distribution.

Dall Sheep Realized Habitat

Males and females typically live in sexually segregated groups throughout the year, coming together in late November and early December for mating. In spring (late May/early June), when lambs are born, reproductive females prefer higher altitude habitat and rely on steep mountain areas for protection from predators. Thus the realized habitat distribution reflects the habitat Dall sheep are known to inhabit.