In a press release, WGFD said it’s the third CWD case on Hunt Area 98, which encompasses the Scab Creek Feedground near Pinedale. Several other hunt areas in the region have seen CWD cases in elk, including Hunt Area 84, near Jackson, last month.
The always fatal, easily transmissible brain disease is seen as a major threat to big game in North America, including western Wyoming’s elk populations.
Wyoming is the only state in the U.S. that has feedgrounds. They started over a century ago, to prop up elk herds during harsh winters. There are more than 20 in the state.
Last year, WGFD decided to continue the practice despite some experts saying it brings the elk into too close of contact, allowing the disease to spread more easily.
The National Elk Refuge in the Jackson Hole Valley is the only federally managed feed ground in the state. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to release guidance on the future of feeding on the refuge this year.
According to reporting from WyoFile, a recently published study by the U.S. Geological Survey includes 20-year projections showing that regardless of the decision, the Jackson Elk Herd may see a steep population decline. However, halting feeding on the refuge provides the most abundant population in the long term.
Specific management plans to continue feeding on state-run elk feedgrounds with “sideboards” to prevent the spread of disease are expected this year.