Depending on the severity of the winter, thousands of hours may be required to haze elk to desired wintering sites during a given year. Under special management situations, the WGFD also employs depredation hunts to remove elk from agricultural areas. When elk cannot be hazed from cattle feeding sites, the WGFD directs hunters into an area to remove problem elk. This technique is only used when other management practices fail. Habitat Management Historic loss of winter ranges and resultant establishment of feedgrounds paved the way for Wyoming's brucellosis problem in elk.
Habitat loss continues today both in terms of quantity and quality.
To address this, the WGFD strives to maintain wildlife habitat in the best ecological condition possible. This requires a multitude of management actions including direct manipulation of habitat. Changes in vegetative composition, productivity, and nutrient content, due to natural plant succession, fire suppression, and other human related activities have gradually impacted elk habitat throughout the GYA over the last century. Many native elk ranges are below their potential in terms of herbaceous production and shrub vitality. Direct habitat manipulation maintains native ranges in a variety of successional stages across the landscape to meet various nutritional and security requirements of elk and other wildlife species.