National Elk Refuge

Refuge Manager
National Elk Refuge
P.O. Box C.
Jackson, Wyoming 83001
Telephone: 307/733-9212

Welcome to the National Elk Refuge. The National Elk Refuge lies just northeast of the town of Jackson and directly south of Grand Teton National Park. Refuge Headquarters is located on Broadway St. one mile east from the Jackson town square. The office is open year-round, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The winter season, between November and May, is the best time to visit and view elk and other wildlife on the Refuge. Because of management needs, public use activities are confined to the main, unpaved roadways through the Refuge. Paved turnouts on the west side of the Refuge along U.S. Highway 26 (leading to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks) offer an opportunity to view and photograph various Refuge wildlife.

In winter, from late December through late March, horse-drawn sleigh rides are available daily to transport visitors for a close-up look at the elk herd. A Sleigh Ride Visitor Center features a slide show, movie, exhibits and information. Here visitors can learn many intriguing facts about the life history of the elk and management of the Refuge. Follow signs from Refuge headquarters four miles to the sleigh ride area.

Elk hunting and trout fishing are popular activities on portions of the Refuge during certain seasons. All State and Federal regulations apply and some special regulations are also in effect. Brochures and pamphlets containing regulations and information on the Refuge and its wildlife are available at Headquarters.

There are limited hiking opportunities on the Refuge but there is no overnight parking or camping. Many camping areas are available in nearby National Forests and National Parks.

HABITAT AND HISTORY
Hundreds of years before settlement of this country, elk ranged from the eastern states through central and western North America. They grazed the open prairies, mountain valleys and foothills. But as settlers pushed slowly westward, the distribution of the elk was rapidly reduced to the western mountains. By the turn of the century, elk had disappeared from over 90 percent of their original range.

When settlers arrived in Jackson Hole in the late 1800's, there may have been as many as 25,000 elk in the valley. The town of Jackson sprang up, located directly in a large portion of the migratory elk's historic winter range in the valley. Farms and ranches further restricted elk from their traditional wintering areas. Livestock competed for winter food and hungry elk raided haystacks. These severe conflicts between man and elk further diminished the Jackson Hole elk population.

Created in 1912 as a result of public interest in the survival of the elk herd, the National Elk Refuge continues to preserve the last of the elk winter range in the valley. The nearly 25,000 acre National Elk Refuge is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is one of over 400 Refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

MANAGING THE ELK HERD
Late in October and early in November, when snow comes to the high passes, elk begin their traditional migration from high summer range in the Tetons and South Yellowstone to lower winter range in the valley. Heavy snows force the animals to lower elevations in search of food. Many of the elk make their way to the National Elk Refuge. The Refuge is managed to provide a winter home for an average of 7,500 elk, over half of the Jackson Hole population.

The Refuge protects approximately one-quarter of the original elk winter range in the valley. The grasslands of the Refuge are managed by extensive irrigation and by prescribed burning. Large stockpiles of pelleted alfalfa hay are fed to the elk when deep or crusted snow prevents them from grazing. An eight-foot-high fence along the main highway and north of town was erected to prevent elk from moving through Jackson and onto private lands.

Elk stay on the Refuge for approximately six months each winter. During the very hardest part of the winter, as natural forage is less available, they are fed supplementally. When spring arrives in late April and early May, the elk begin their trek back to the high country. Calves are born from late May to mid-June, off the Refuge.

In the summer months, elk can be seen throughout Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks and in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Look for them at dawn and at dusk when they emerge from the forest to graze.

A DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE AND PLANTS
While elk are the primary reason for the Refuge, other animals of the high country are found on the area year-round, or during seasonal migration to and from surrounding areas. Moose, bighorn sheep, and mule deer are found on the refuge (generally in winter) and coyotes, badgers and Uinta ground squirrels are often seen. Other common wildlife species include muskrats, beaver, porcupines, longtail weasels, and voles or meadow mice. Nearly 175 species of birds have been observed on the Refuge. Waterfowl commonly seen on pond and marsh areas include the mallard, pintail, gadwall, Barrow's goldeneye, bufflehead, green-winged and cinnamon teal and Canada geese. For a birding highlight, stop at the Flat Creek Marsh along U.S. Highway 26 and look for nesting Trumpeter Swans and their young.

Bald eagles, ravens and magpies are common winter birds and, like the coyotes, are scavengers of elk that have died during the winter. Hawks include the kestrel, harrier, red-tailed, Swainson's and rough legged. You may even catch a glimpse of a golden eagle. The marsh edges attract long-billed marsh wrens, yellow-headed blackbirds and yellowthroats, while sandhill cranes and long-billed curlews are found in open marshes or grassy meadows.

What makes the Refuge a home for such a diversity of wildlife? It is due primarily to habitat. The Refuge encompasses areas of grassy meadows and marshes along the valley floor, timbered areas along the Gros Ventre River, and sagebrush and rock outcroppings along the foothills. A diversity of food and shelter provides for the rich mixture of wildlife species found at the National Elk Refuge.