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Old 01-02-2007, 06:34 PM
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Default The Ones That Got Away

Kath and I went to spend Christmas with our daughter and her family. They live in Victor, ID, which is the first town on the west side of Teton Pass. On the other side is Jackson, Wy. The town sits in a huge valley that is most commonly called Jackson Hole. It's a beautiful area with the Teton Mountain Range on the west side and the Gros Ventre [pronounced Grow Vaunt] Mountains on the east side of the valley. The Tetons, of course, are in Teton National Park.
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Old 01-02-2007, 06:44 PM
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One of the Christmas presents that our Daughter and son-in-law gave us were tickets for a sleigh ride out onto the elk preserve winter range. This is where thousands of elk congrigate each winter to graze when possible and to be supplimented with hay by people. This has gone on for over seventy years. Most of the elk come out of Teton National Park, but there are also many that make the 50-60mi. trip from Yellowstone to the north. The rest are from the surrounding areas outside the park.

People are taken out to the nearest herd by sleigh wagons pulled by horses. These are the same type wagons that hauls hay out on the range, so the animals are used to seeing them. They can get quite close.
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Old 01-02-2007, 06:46 PM
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It was in the teens with a light snow falling, so we were glad we thought to bring one of the blankets out of the car.
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Old 01-02-2007, 06:51 PM
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We were lucky; the nearest herd was a herd of bachelors. All bulls of various ages. Alot of horns.

All you elk hunters eat your hearts out .
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Old 01-02-2007, 06:53 PM
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Some of the younger bulls were doing a little jousting from time to time.
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Old 01-02-2007, 06:58 PM
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Somemore dueling.
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Old 01-02-2007, 07:02 PM
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Wyoming winters are harsh even if they are being supplemented with food, so alot of their time is spent laying down, chewing their cuds, and preserving energy.
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Old 01-02-2007, 07:08 PM
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Some of them don't make it. There are plenty of coyotes to scavenge off of the fallen animals. There are also a couple of wolf packs that come down out of the Yellowstone to feed off of the weaker animals through the winter. Just because these animals are in a preserve, there is no human intervention beyond their being fed. Whatever happens, happens.
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Old 01-02-2007, 07:13 PM
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During their stay, the bulls shed their antlers. In the spring, the local Boy Scout troops police up all of the horns and they are sold by the pound on the open market. The money is put back into the feeding program.
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Old 01-02-2007, 07:16 PM
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So if you ever make it to Jackson, Wyoming, in the winter time, a sleigh ride out onto the elk preserve is a MUST SEE. Take a blanket with you.
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