JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Critics of supplemental feeding for elk are many. From those who say state and federal authorities feed too little to others who believe supplemental feeding is unnatural, promotes disease and should be discontinued altogether—everyone, it seems, has an opinion.
A winter like this one past highlights strong arguments for feeding elk—to keep them out of haystacks and off roadways. So, when the Elk Refuge quit the throwing pellets on March 23—one of the earliest feed cessation dates on record—questions circulated on both sides of the fence. Why so early given the harsh winter? Is there anything greened up yet for elk to eat out in the hills?
Game managers want to make one thing clear: They aren’t the ones calling the shots, elk are.
At the state’s 23 area feedgrounds, feedground manager Dave Hyde says they usually end up feeding until the elk wind up leaving.
“We had that stretch of warm, sunny days and these elk get restless. They’ve been in the same place eating the same food for all those months, they’re wanting to get out of there,” Hyde said. “You can’t hold them if you tried. They’re wild animals.”
Each feedground is different as to when the elk choose to quit the chow line but the determining factors remain constant from year to year: longer, warmer days begin the melt, then the greenup, then the elk exodus. Hyde says he knows it’s time to stop throwing hay bales when his feeders come back and tell him there’s no wildlife left to feed.
Still, some outfitters and others concerned about the health of the elk population in the valley have accused Game and Fish, and Fish and Wildlife agencies of starting late, ending early, and being stingy with feed in between. Last year, in particular, advocacy group Citizens Concerned for Elk and local veterinarian Ken Griggs claimed Elk Refuge managers were underfeeding to the point of starvation for some animals.
Refuge biologist Eric Cole says the March 23 end date for feeding this spring was one of the earliest on record, but it was not unprecedented and was based on a careful evaluation of conditions on the ground at that time.
“Despite the severity of the winter, there were two major melting events on the Refuge in mid-February and mid-March. The entire south end of the Refuge, south-facing slopes on the north end of the Refuge, and Forest Service slopes immediately east of the Refuge were completely snow-free by March 17,” Cole said. “By this time, many elk and bison were losing interest in supplemental feed, which is exactly what you would expect when they have access to new green grass. Green grass is at least as nutritious as alfalfa hay, and in many cases more nutritious.”
The official decision to end supplemental feeding on the Refuge is primarily driven by disease concerns. Cole said ample evidence exists to show Brucellosis prevalence, for one, increases with later feeding dates. Bacterial diseases like foot rot and septicemic pasteurellosis also tend to fester the longer elk are congregated in a confined area.
Cole added that elk often find enough new grass at lower and mid-elevations long before GPS collar data shows wapiti hit the high country, which is not until June in most years.
