JACKSON, Wyo. — On Thursday, Dec. 19, the National Elk Refuge (NER) released a biological update on ungulate movement onto the Refuge.
According to the update, which was written by NER Senior Wildlife Biologist Eric K. Cole, over 3,000 elk have migrated to the southern end of the NER. He said in a statement that the closing of the NER hunt is a signal for elk to safely move to their wintering grounds.
“Clearly there was a significant movement of elk onto the south end of NER once the Refuge elk hunting season ended on Dec. 14,” Cole said in the report. “These sorts of elk movements following the end of the elk season on the Refuge are not unusual.”
The first major elk movement of the season occurred on Nov. 27 and 28. Approximately 1,500 to 2,500 elk moved through the NER and onto National Forest land east of the Refuge around this time period.
According to the update, on Dec. 13, only three pronghorn and 28 bighorn sheep were residing on the 11,400 acre survey area. As of Dec. 19, 3,080 elk and a total of 53 bighorn sheep have moved into the survey area. So far, there haven’t been any recent sightings or counts of moose, bison or mule deer on the Refuge, per the update.
Cole said that more detailed information will become available once elk GPS collar data is analyzed.
