WY bison results

[wytex]

Some years the bears are active well into December. We took a sled and with snow it would have worked well. Tag and Drag hauled mine down the hill and gutted it for me, well worth the $150 not to get exposed to brucellosis and deal with those huge guts.
They were on the refuge every day and offered up horseback help if wanted, this was December and January.
Stein contact Jon Stephens, GW. He kept tabs on the bison movement the 2 years in a row we hunted over there.
Once your bison is down and gutted it will be hauled to a retrieval road you can drive to. We used our grill guard to tie off legs for self processing. Took us about 3 hrs or so to get our cows broke down and loaded into our truck. Most years they have the retrieval roads plowed.

 

[geetar]

If I drew tags like that with my brother I’d go for broke. They’d have to hold my job while I went scouting and I’d figure out a way to make it happen. This is truly once in a lifetime for both of you to draw that. It’s not gonna happen again. Cherish that time and make the most of it. Congrats on the tag and the baby. I’ve got one due in December myself.

 

[Stein]

Man, you guys are getting me all excited again. We just booked our lodging, the whole family will be coming and I'm pretty much staying until it gets done. Luckily, I have a ton of vacation saved. I have two buddies that may or may not join, but if I can get it gutted and to the road, the family can take it apart.

One more question, I have heard about the season potentially closing early on some years - any info on that? Looks like it closed Jan 6 in 2017 due to elk leaving the NER (not sure why this would close the bison season)?

I'm trying to figure out what dates to apply for in Dec and want to make sure I don't end up on the wrong side of a closure.

 

[Jape]

Man, you guys are getting me all excited again. We just booked our lodging, the whole family will be coming and I'm pretty much staying until it gets done. Luckily, I have a ton of vacation saved. I have two buddies that may or may not join, but if I can get it gutted and to the road, the family can take it apart.

One more question, I have heard about the season potentially closing early on some years - any info on that? Looks like it closed Jan 6 in 2017 due to elk leaving the NER (not sure why this would close the bison season)?

I'm trying to figure out what dates to apply for in Dec and want to make sure I don't end up on the wrong side of a closure.

They close it 48 hours after they start feeding the elk on the refuge. That typically starts in January but the date changes depending on snow levels. Some years they don’t feed them because the snow level is so low, but that also means the bison are much less likely to come on the refuge too. That’s why I recommend getting your bison earlier on national forest if you can (season is already open).

I also wonder with the revelation last winter of a deer with CWD, fears of an outbreak in the refuge herd, and litigation concerns if they will end the feeding program entirely.

Weaning Jackson elk off refuge feed may start this winter

Federal wildlife officials aiming to avert a lawsuit are pledging to implement a long-delayed plan to wean the National Elk Refuge’s namesake animals off of supplemental alfalfa ahead of the

www.jhnewsandguide.com

 

[Stein]

Thanks for the info, I'll give the warden a ring and see if he has any additional information. I have the cow tag, so the NF right now doesn't seem to be the best use of my vacation time and money. I changed up my plan after talking with a bunch of people and will just go all out in one trip. Fortunately I have a very flexible job and can be gone 3 days or 15.

 

[wytex]

Stein I watched this webcam both years we had cow bison tags :https://www.alltravelcams.com/webcams/grand_teton_national_park/kelly_wy_west.php
I was able to see the bison herd near the road where they like to cross and know when to call and check on their whereabouts.
The G&F gals also called me when they started moving onto the Refuge to see if we could get there then to hunt.
We took both our cows in January in subsequent years. They did move over one year at Christmas time but we were out of state and had to go in Jan. Have some snowshoes, post holing is no fun. Did it for about 5 miles looking for cows, just walking was hard the next few days, lol. Waders would be helpful in crossing the river, we chose to walk in the longer way.

 

[Stein]

I talked with both WGFD and the NER and have as solid of a plan together as I can. All the logistics are taken care of, I have the time off and just need the snow to fly. Fortunately, the whole family will be able to attend, so it's just up to me to get sharp on identifying cows and put the hours in on the ground.

 

[Jape]

I talked with both WGFD and the NER and have as solid of a plan together as I can. All the logistics are taken care of, I have the time off and just need the snow to fly. Fortunately, the whole family will be able to attend, so it's just up to me to get sharp on identifying cows and put the hours in on the ground.

Good luck! Keep us updated.

 

[Stein]

I drew the NER permit for Dec 28-31, so the only thing left to worry about is winter coming strong enough to push a bunch of them down to the NER. Man, I can't wait.

 

[zpooch]

I drew the NER permit for Dec 28-31, so the only thing left to worry about is winter coming strong enough to push a bunch of them down to the NER. Man, I can't wait.

Don’t hold your breath for them on the NER on those dates. Hope they move for you though!

 

[Stein]

Certainly possible, it happened last year. I have time blocked out to stay until they show up or they shut the NER.

 

[zpooch]

It didn't happen last year until much later

 

[Stein]

That's what I meant, the Jackson office said the main migration didn't happen until about Jan 25 and even then only a fraction made it onto the NER. On the other side of the coin, once they start feeding elk the NER is shut down and the hunt is over, so you are battling time from both ends. I put myself in the best position I could and hope for the best.

 

[wytex]

Some years they move over in December, we have a cow from that time frame.
Good place to observe bison and learn to recognize a cow is along the Gros Ventre road and the parking areas for Grand Teton along there.
You'll be in Jackson for a neat time frame. Give us a thumbs up when you harvest on the square webcams.

 

[Stein]

Nothing so far, they have a good amount of snow, 101% in the Snake River basin, but they haven't budged a bit. Nothing exciting in the forecast, maybe a bit on Thursday, but nothing that looks like it will trigger the migration. That's bad news for the family trip after Christmas, so Plan B is to hope it happens before the end of January.

 

[wytex]

Keep your head up they may decide to move for no reason.
I was scheduled right before Christmas my year and called, no bison moving and they didn't look like they would any time soon. We left for our Christmas trip down south and the G&F office gal called the next day, some moved over. I coudn't get there then but did several days later and it payed off on the 3rd day we were there.

 

[Stein]

That's good news, thanks. I'm pretty much open and will be able to head over on a couple hours of notice. I was hoping for the unicorn season where it all worked out and my family could join, but we will take whatever we are lucky enough to get. The weather isn't bad, it's just not good. I have my eye on the cams and call in for frequent updates, so it's just a matter of timing now.

 

[Dieseldog]

When i had the tag 2 years ago. It didn't happen until about January 28th or so. Just be ready to go at the drop of a hat.

 

[zpooch]

When i had the tag 2 years ago. It didn't happen until about January 28th or so. Just be ready to go at the drop of a hat.

About the same last year for cows

 

[wytex]

Hoping for the best for you Stein and looking forward to some bison pics!