Elk Arrive On Refuge

Here they come at last.  Elk have begun their migration onto the National Elk Refuge with 628 animals having made the trek onto the reserve late last week and settling in on the southern end.  Refuge Biologist Eric Cole adds that the first radio-collared elk was numbered among the group.  Cole adds that a n umber of elk being tracked by radio collar have been moving back and forth between a nearby hunt area and the southern end of the refuge in recent days.  As of last Wednesday, hunters have reported only 18 elk harvested in the National Elk Refuge season which he says is remarkably low for this late in the season.  For comparison there were approximately 70 elk reported harvested by this time last year. There are still opportunities to increase elk harvest, but the hunt is coming to an end. The last day of the refuge elk season is December 16th.  Meanwhile, the elk hunting season on the eastern side of Grand Teton National Park ended Sunday.  Cole says due to the limited harvest this year, there are concerns that the population objectives of 5,000 elk and 500 bison on the refuge for the winter will be exceeded.