Comparison of 3 Methods for Evaluating Activity of Dall's Sheep

Abstract

Validation of the reliability of remote-sensing data is critical to subsequent analyses, yet is often neglected. Thus, we assessed the efficacy of 3 methods of collecting information on activities of captive and free-ranging Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli) in Alaska. Conventional very high frequency (VHF) radio-telemetry transmitters and platform transmitter terminals that transmit to satellites, eacj wotj motion-sensitive tipswitches, were compared with simultaneous direct observation Both VHF (98% agreement) and satellite telemetry (98% agreement) reliably distinguished active from inactive behaviors for free-ranging females