Jackson elk classification count complicated by mild winter

Wildlife agencies began this year’s classification count of the Jackson elk herd Wednesday morning.

The classification count not only totals the number of elk, but it records the number of bulls, spikes (young bulls), cows and calves. Lori Iverson, who works in outreach and visitor services for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the National Elk Refuge, said the mild winter in the valley made it a tougher job this year.

“There’s definitely a lack of interest in the feed compared to what we normally see in February,” Iverson said.

To get the count at the National Elk Refuge, a truck dumps two feed lines to gather groups of elk. A rig with eight people in the back drives between the two lines. Wyoming Game & Fish warden Todd Graham was in one of the rigs.

“Four people count on the left, four people count on the right,” Graham said.

However, the elk on the refuge are only a fraction of the count. Mark Goecke of Wyoming Game & Fish said about 40 percent of the herd has to be counted from a helicopter.

“So as we’re counting these elk that are on feed, she’s counting the elk that are in the surrounding hills,” Goecke said.

It’s another task that is complicated by this year’s mild winter.

“The lack of snow cover will make that a little more difficult today, because you’re looking at brown on brown,” Iverson said. “You don’t have the contrast with the snow.”

The totals from the count will help make sure the herd doesn’t exceed its carrying capacity.

“We’ll see how they compare to past years, and then we will come up with a proposed hunting season for next fall,” Goecke said.

Wyoming Game & Fish will continue to count the elk away from the refuge this week. The count from the National Elk Refuge Wednesday totaled 8,390. Last year’s total at the refuge came out to just 94 fewer, or 8,296.