Game and Fish Will Hold Public Workshops on Elk Feedground Management Action Plans

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has announced they will hold public workshops later this month to provide updates and gather public input on the elk Feedground Management Action Plan (FMAP) process for the Pinedale and Jackson elk herd units.

According to the department, these workshops will offer an overview of the FMAP development process and an opportunity for the public to engage in discussion and share comments on proposed strategies for managing elk feedgrounds and herd health.

The Pinedale workshop will be at 6 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Pinedale Regional Game and Fish Office, 432 E. Mill St. The Jackson workshop will be at 1 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Teton County Library’s Ordway Auditorium, 125 Virginian Lane.

Following the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s approval of the Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Management Plan in March 2024, the Jackson and Pinedale regions began developing herd-specific FMAPs tailored to individual elk herd units and their associated feedgrounds. The Game and Fish report that each region includes three elk herd units, encompassing a total of 21 department-operated feedgrounds.

In the Pinedale Region, FMAP development began with the Pinedale elk herd unit, which includes elk hunt areas 97 and 98 and the Fall, Scab and Muddy Creek feedgrounds. In the Jackson Region, the process started with the Jackson elk herd unit, which includes hunt areas 70-72, 75 and 77-83 and the Fish Creek and Patrol Cabin feedgrounds, as well as the federally managed National Elk Refuge.

According to the department, FMAPs evaluate strategies outlined in the Feedgrounds Management Plan and determine how they can be applied at the herd unit and feedground levels while adhering to commission-supported goals and sideboards. 

Goals include promoting elk herd health by limiting disease transmission while providing supplemental feed and reducing elk reliance on supplemental feed. 

Sideboards include using the standard public process for herd objective reviews, prioritizing hunting as the primary population management tool, minimizing elk damage to private property and disease transmission to livestock, and minimizing competition with other wintering wildlife species.