Bison prove elusive to hunters this year
By Cory Hatch and The Associated Press, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
December 24, 2009
The number of Jackson-herd bison killed by hunters is down 54 percent this year, prompting wildlife managers to worry that the herd will grow for the first time in three years.
As of Tuesday, bison hunters had killed only 91 in Bridger-Teton National Forest and the National Elk Refuge. They had harvested 198 bison by the same time last year, Wyoming Game and Fish Department spokesman Mark Gocke said.
Gocke said mild weather and lots of forage have kept animals from migrating down to the refuge. With only a week and a half left in the hunting season, there’s little chance hunters will make significant gains.
“The past couple of years, we’ve been able to reduce the herd somewhat with a total harvest of around 258 last year and 266 the previous year,” Gocke said. “However, this year we will not be keeping up with the annual reproduction, which is approximately 150 calves for a population of 1,000.”
Wildlife managers hope to reduce the size of the herd from more than 1,000 bison to about 500 to lessen their impact on refuge forage. By preserving forage for elk, managers can delay feeding them, alleviating the crowding that exacerbates diseases such as brucellosis.
To make matters worse, Gocke said, hunters have harvested only 21 cows.
“That’s the segment we’re trying to target because we’re trying to keep the reproduction down,” he said.
Aside from the weather and good forage, Gocke said, bison are likely learning to avoid open hunting areas.
“The bison are realizing places where there’s no hunting pressure,” he said. “Last year the bison were getting pretty wary of hunters and it was getting more difficult for hunters to sneak up on them. This year was especially difficult.”
“Hunters might get one or two [bison on the refuge] and then they’re gone, they’re back in the park,” Gocke said. “They’re not spending a lot of time in the open hunt area, unfortunately.”
Wildlife managers don’t plan to extend the season, Gocke said.
“There’s been lots of hunters asking if we are, and we’re not,” he said. “We already built an extension into the season, anticipating a year like last year when animals didn’t come down into the park until later.”
