Many people believe the Fannin sheep is nothing more than an
offspring, or cross, between the Dall sheep and Stone sheep.
This, in fact, may be the case, because their ranges do overlap.
However, the fact that Fannin sheep exist in the northern Yukon
defies this theory. The northern Yukon Fannins are totally
isolated geographically from their southern Yukon relatives.
A small pocket of Fannin sheep can even be found in Alaska.
At present, it is accepted that the northern Yukon Fannins
simply range into Alaska. Of course, who is to say absolutely
that the Fannin sheep did not initially come from Alaska? There
are also Fannins found occasionally in the Mackenzie Mts. of NWT.
It is difficult to explain this phenomenon, because the Dall sheep
of NWT are isolated from Stones and Fannins by significant amounts
of geography. The Fannins of the Mackenzie Mts. are more numerous
(but still rare) in the southernmost parts of the range. However,
they show up occasionally in the most northern part of the range
as well. Rams generally show more color than ewes within a Fannin
population. If a ram has only a black tail, it is generally accepted
as a Dall sheep. It is only when the dark hair appears on the body
that it is considered a Fannin. Because rams with color have begun
to show up quite often in traditional Dall habitat, GSCO has made
the following decision: If a ram has only a small amount of black
hair within the body and/or down the legs, the trophy owner can
choose to call it either Fannin or Dall.
NOTE: Either a Fannin or a Stone counts toward the Grand Slam and
the Ovis World Slam. However, for the Ovis World Slam Super 20,
30, or 40, both a Stone AND Fannin may be included.
