The goal of the Bullwhacker feed site is to keep elk out of the City of Ketchum to reduce human-wildlife conflicts
Staff from Fish and Game, Magic Valley Region have begun feeding elk at the Bullwhacker feed site. Feeding started on January 12, 2024, as snow started to accumulate, and temperatures dipped.
Historically, the site typically feeds over 125 elk each year.
Residents and visitors are asked to stay away from the feed site in order to not disturb the elk.
It is anticipated that feeding will continue until April 2024.
Located west of Ketchum, the Bullwhacker feed site is the only Fish and Game Commission sanctioned feed site in Idaho. Depending on winter conditions, feeding typically begins in late December or early January.
Feeding at Bullwhacker has occurred on an annual basis since the 1980s, with periodic feeding beginning in the 1950s.
The site was established with the intention of keeping elk away from the communities of Ketchum and Sun Valley. While many think that feed sites supplement food on winter range, the Bullwhacker feed site purpose is to lure elk away from local communities where conflicts can occur.
A large number of deer and elk have become year-round or seasonal residents within communities throughout the Wood River Valley, leading to an increased number of human-wildlife conflicts in the wintertime. Big game that remains in and around communities run a higher risk of getting hit on roads and highways, caught in fences, falling through thin ice on decorative ponds and into household window wells, as well as getting chased by off-leash dogs, and tangled in swing sets and hammocks.
Feeding wildlife by residents is strongly discouraged since unauthorized feed sites can lead to unintended consequences of attracting wildlife into close proximity of towns and neighborhoods. (Please read Feeding elk and deer in town does more harm than good.)
For more information about how to reduce human-wildlife conflicts and suggestions on how to live and recreate safely around wildlife visit the Wood River Valley Wildlife Smart Communities website.
Contact the Magic Valley Regional Office for more information about winter feeding at (208) 324-4359.