With what locals say is an unprecedentedly mild winter, elk are bailing out of the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, apparently thinking it's spring already.
That could cast doubt on one of Jackson’s most time-honored traditions later this year, the annual antler auction in the town square, to raise money for local troops of Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America).
In April, Scouts get exclusive access to the refuge, to collect antlers shed by bull elk over the winter. But fewer elk on the refuge would mean fewer antlers on the ground for Scouts to grab.
An early elk migration off the refuge was blamed for a dip in sales during last year’s auction, so organizers are crossing their fingers this year won’t be a possibly worse repeat.
Local wildlife photographers told Cowboy State Daily that the refuge seems to be emptying out already, as elk head for higher ground.
Messages left for refuge officials weren’t returned.
Paul Vogelheim, president of the Jackson Hole Friends of Scouting, said a recent storm and cold snap seemed to drive some elk back into the refuge, and he hopes they decide to stay, at least long enough for bulls to drop their antlers.
‘An Unusual Amount Of Migration’
Photographer Savannah Rose recently took video of a mob of elk high-tailing it off the refuge.
“This year I have observed an unusual amount of migration off the National Elk Refuge. It seems like after the herds arrived and spent some time there, they realized the lack of snow and higher temperatures meant they did not need to spend the winter there for their survival,” she said.
That trend has continued, she added.
“Throughout the season, these small herds have been visible pushing their way back north quite early. I don’t expect they’d return unless very heavy snowfall pushed them back south,” Rose said.
‘It Was Raining’
Photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven said his recent visit to the refuge was soggy.
“I just finished a photography tour in Jackson yesterday (Wednesday), and during the last days we took a sleigh ride into the National Elk Refuge. Yes, we were on the sleigh, it was raining, and there was hardly any snow on the ground as it melted,” he said.
“There were elk on the refuge, but because the snowpack is so low, there is little or no reason for them to be there. They can leave the refuge, go to higher ground and find plenty of food,” he added.
Vangoidtsenhoven said he hopes the next couple of months bring heavy snow to drive elk, particularly big bulls, back down to lower elevations.
“We didn’t see any big bulls on the refuge. They are all still hanging out at higher elevations. I’m hoping for a cold and snowy March and April. Otherwise, this will have been quite an extraordinary and poor winter,” he said.
A ‘False Sense’ Of Spring
“We’ve never had a winter like this,” Vogelheim said. “It’s given the elk a false sense of an early spring.”
There was a glimmer of hope after the recent storm, he said.
“We’ve been watching the elk. They were moving up into the national park (Grand Teton), and then back onto the refuge with the recent snow,” he said.
The antler auction is scheduled for the Saturday before Memorial Day.
The Scouts have collected a few antlered skulls from winterkill bulls. And those usually fetch high prices, he said.
And if heavy spring snows can hold enough elk on the refuge, there should also be a shed antler jackpot.
“We’re just being hopeful,” but there’s no controlling the weather, he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
