Feedgrounds grow elk herds? Wolves, grizzlies might mop up benefits, study finds.

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Biologist Brian Dugovich’s colleagues came up with that catchy four-word soundbite — “farming elk feeds wolves” — to sum up one finding from a study he led that investigated the effectiveness of Wyoming’s system of feeding elk in the winter.

Dugovich’s study, recently published in the journal Ecosphere , initially set out to test some of the assumptions about elk feedgrounds and their benefits. One reason why big game outfitters have been steadfast proponents of elk feeding for generations is a belief that feedgrounds improve elk hunting. But it’s a premise that’s never really been tested in the modern era using data.

“We thought it would be a good idea to revis