Yukoner chosen for historic Dall sheep hunt

Somewhere in Yukon's Kluane Mountain range, there's a Dall sheep with Craig Hansen's name on it.

Hansen was the winner Tuesday of what's considered a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity to hunt in the Kluane Game Sanctuary.

The sanctuaryin the territory's southwest cornerhas been closed to hunters for years, after overhunting during the construction of the Alaska Highway in the 1940s decimated the herd.

Now, with land claims settled and herd numbers recovering, wildlife officials and local aboriginal leaders say the sheep can stand a limited harvest.

"In the zone that we're actually looking at, there's over 300 full-sized rams," said Kluane First Nation Chief Bob Dickson. "And there's, like, 600 sheep in that area.

"We did our count last year and we only based it on rams. We didn't look for ewes or lambs or anything like that. We were just looking for potential of the hunt."

The permit Hansen won is for one sheep and is one of onlytwo allotted this year. The other was auctioned off by the Kluane First Nation for more than $165,000, an indication of the demand for big-game sheep.

Half the moneyfrom the auctionwill go to conservation efforts and half to community programs, say band leaders.

"Dall sheep is a real prized trophy in the States," said Dennis Dickson, a member of the Kluane Renewable Resources Council. "People that know that nobody's ever hunted in that area for years know it's a good chance of getting a good head."

More than 400 Yukoners applied for the single permit being offered.

Sean Bell, a local sports hunter, said it was a much-coveted opportunity.

"I'd probably quit my job, to do a month, to hunt it properly, to do that hunt," he said.

However, Hansen may not even know how luckyhe is. He's on vacation and couldn't be reached to talk about his win.

The hunt will take place this fall.