Management Objectives

• To manage large mammal winter range by providing natural and supplemental feed
• To provide sanctuary for migratory birds during the spring and fall migration
• To preserve, restore, and enhance the endangered and threatened species, and to preserve and protect archaeological and historical sites
• To provide opportunities for scientific and professional research

Refuge grasslands are managed to produce as much natural forage for elk as possible through extensive irrigation, seeding, prescribed burning, and other practices. These management practices enhance elk winter habitat and reduce the need for supplemental feeding.  Elk are on the refuge for about six months each year from November to May, free- ranging for about 3.5 months and using supplemental feed for about 2.5 months, usually from late January until April. When deep or crusted snow prevents the elk from grazing, or the natural forage is depleted, refuge personnel feed the herds pelletized alfalfa.  These 2- to 3-inch pellets have higher nutritional value than average baled hay and are easier for about 30 tons per day for a herd of 7,500 elk. Elk are usually fed about 7 to 8 pounds per animal per day. 

The portion of the Jackson elk herd that winters on the National Elk Refuge averages approximately 7,500 animals yearly. The number of elk wintering on the refuge must be limited to avoid overuse of the range and to reduce the potential spread of diseases common when herd animals are crowded.  The Refuge, in consultation with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department have determined that a maximum of 7,500 (more than half the total Jackson elk herd) elk is optimum for the refuge.  Herd numbers are maintained through a late fall controlled hunt on the refuge and adjacent public lands. 

For the past six years, the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park have been working together to plan for the future management of both the Jackson Hole elk herd and the bison that winter on the refuge. A culmination of this planning process is the DRAFT Bison and Elk Environmental Impact Statement which outlines ways in which this herd could be managed for future generations.

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