JACKSON, Wyo. — The final supermoon of 2024 rose over Jackson on Friday, Nov. 15, illuminating a herd of elk near Schwabacher Landing in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).
Last week, Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer watched the herd move across the sage brush flats near Highway 26/89/191. Schwabacher Landing, a popular wildlife viewing spot located on the Snake River, attracts grizzly bears, elk, moose, mule deer, beaver, otters and ducks, GTNP said via its website.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, November’s full moon is known as the Beaver Moon because “this is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges.” This is also the time of year when the Jackson elk herd begins to migrate from GTNP to their winter feeding grounds on the National Elk Refuge (NER).
NER Project Leader Frank Durbian told Buckrail that elk populations have not yet moved onto the refuge, as of Monday, Nov. 18. Although Durbian said that three to four bulls have been observed on the refuge in the past week, according to reports from hunters.
“No cows have been harvested, to date, although a few have been spotted on the forest adjacent to the refuge,” Durbian said.
The Jackson Herd of approximately 11,000 elk are considered the largest elk herd in North America, according to GTNP. To manage and conserve the Jackson Elk Herd, the elk reduction program began on Saturday, Nov. 16, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 8, in GTNP.
