Supplemental feeding of elk and bison has started on the National Elk Refuge near Jackson. Wildlife officers began by distributing small amounts of alfalfa pellets on Thursday. Eventually the elk will work themselves up to getting 8 pounds of food a day. The bison will get about 20 pounds. There are about 6,000 elk and 600 bison wintering at the southern end of the refuge. The migration of elk there began later this season thanks in part to abundant forage thanks to the heavy spring runoff. Refuge spokeswoman Lori Iverson says the amount of forage has now decreased and more of it is inaccessible because of ice and compacted snow. This year's feeding season isn't expected to go as long as last year's, which lasted 100 days.
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