The first step in ensuring sustainable development and the protection of a wildlife population is understanding the population and its needs.

Stone’s sheep research has traditionally focused on winter habitats, as this is when they can be found in higher concentration. The protection strategy on Todagin reflects this. Their winter habitat was protected in 2001 by means of Todagin South Slope Provincial Park, but the rest of their habitat — the plateau and other cliff areas — has remained unprotected.

It is this unprotected habitat that was recently opened up to mining exploration. At this point, the mining company is just looking around with relatively low impact, but should they decide to propose a development, we must understand the herd’s needs to ensure sustainable development.

As a preliminary step in this direction, we are mapping the herd’s habitat use during spring, summer and fall by photographing the sheep with a device called FotoSpot by Eka that provides the coordinates of the camera and its bearing. Through a series of trigonometry calculations we are able to pinpoint the exact location of the sheep being photographed.

This data will then be mapped to show the where and when of the Todagin herd’s movements. Habitat protection involves protecting not only core areas but migration routes, which this data will help provide.

In 12 days I’ve come across five grizzlies roaming the plateau. Thankfully these are the type of grizzlies you want to be sharing a plateau with. They are primarily interested in digging up marmots and ground squirrels and don’t pay any attention to people or their things. I watched as a grizz sauntered past a hunter’s tent without so much as looking at it, not to mention the stash of food laying in the open.

But nonetheless, when you have four months’ worth of food and a longterm camp where you’re cooking, it’s a good idea to take precautions. I’m using UDAP’s Bear Shock Electric Fence to dissuade any inquisitive bears. At only three pounds, I definitely recommend it for backpackers seeking a sound night’s sleep in grizz country.

Thanks to Iridium sat phones, I not only stay safer but in touch. This length of time in the field requires being able to keep up with emails on location. Deciding on which sat phone to use was easy, as every inquiry I made was met by one answer: Iridium is the only reliable option.

A bittersweet day for the sheep: first day without rain and first day of hunting season.

Small tents sheltering bow hunters have popped up across the plateau. Todagin Mountain is world-renowned for its Stone’s sheep hunting. A Stone’s sheep kill is one of the requirements of a Grand Slam, a coveted award for which a hunter must kill one of each of the four North American wild sheep species — the Dall, Stone’s, bighorn and desert bighorn.

Hunting on Todagin is not a simple task. While one may use a rifle to shoot Stone’s sheep elsewhere in the province, Todagin is limited to bow hunting and its conditions aren’t ideal.

First a hunter must confirm that a ram is “legal”, meaning they have to get close enough to ensure there are at least eight rings on the horns or see that the horns breach the height of the nose. Getting this close to an animal that has been conditioned by years of hunting to take flight from humans would be difficult in any environment, but consider that Todagin is essentially one big open field. There isn’t much to hide behind and even the grass is only an inch in height. I watched as a pair of hunters attempted unsuccessfully to “be the grass” — disappearing into the ground via camouflage.

Then the hunter must get even closer to kill the sheep with one arrow. Again, difficult enough in any condition, but consider that one of Todagin’s defining features is high wind.

Because of these challenges, only a handful of rams are taken from Todagin each year.