CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will move forward in 2026 with developing Feedground Management Action Plans, a key component of the broader Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Plan.

As part of the Game and Fish’s statewide Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan, the Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Plan was established to guide the department’s overall and long-term approach to elk management for the 21 feedgrounds in the state. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved the final draft of this strategy in March 2024, following nearly four years of collaborative planning with more than 60 volunteer stakeholders.

The development of individual FMAPs is the next step in this process, and the department will be working closely with stakeholders and the public to address key concerns and priorities.

“Game and Fish remains committed to the management of our state’s feedgrounds in an adaptable manner that utilizes the best science available,” said Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce. “Supplemental winter feeding of elk has continued to grow in complexity. These plans will allow us to adjust to current and future conditions in feedground management.”

Specific FMAPs will be developed for each of the six elk herds and their corresponding feedgrounds in the Jackson and Pinedale regions. They are intended to be a playbook of strategies guiding feedground management through biological, social and economic factors. FMAPs are designed to be adaptable as on-the-ground-conditions change and science emerges.

Game and Fish will work closely with key stakeholders and the public during this development phase. In early 2026, draft FMAP documents will be shared during a series of public meetings.  They will be presented to the Game and Fish Commission later that year.

“The goal of the FMAP process is to ensure our strategies are not only sustainable for our agency, but supported and beneficial to the public,” Bruce said. “This is an important issue that has an impact on our state’s wildlife, business owners and residents in our state. Their buy-in and feedback will be essential to a successful long-term plan for feedground management.”

Times and locations for the public meetings will be announced in January on the Game and Fish website. More information on elk feedgrounds and the Feedground Management Plan can be found on the Elk Feedgrounds page on the Game and Fish website.