JACKSON - Two groups and an individual are calling on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and National Elk Refuge to suspend a bison hunt on the refuge that began Saturday.

The Animal Welfare Institute, Buffalo Field Campaign and Walt Farmer, a Teton County resident, sent an 11-page letter to refuge Manager Steve Kallin and Game and Fish Director Terry Cleveland Tuesday challenging the legality of the bison hunt. The parties said if the hunt was not suspended, they "will evaluate alternative means of forcing the agencies to address these issues."

D.J. Schubert, wildlife biologist with the Animal Welfare Institute, said the groups wanted to submit the letter earlier but were delayed in part because information about the hunt was not available until recently.

Levi Martin, senior assistant attorney general for Wyoming and counsel for Game and Fish, said his office received the letter Tuesday and is reviewing it.

"After reviewing it, we are going to determine what action, if any, needs to be taken," he said. He did not know how long a review would take.

The groups cited seven reasons questioning the legality of the hunt. They said the number of bison eyed for hunting - 300 - was excessive and arbitrary, and went beyond an environmental review of the herd calling for 140 to 150 bison killed annually.

Earlier this year, a bison and elk management plan for the Jackson Hole area was released, calling for a bison population of 500 animals - down from 1,200 there now.

"Though the (record of decision) does not specify how many bison can be killed by hunters on the NER per year, it also does not provide any authorization for the agencies to arbitrarily increase the bison kill rate beyond that disclosed and evaluated in the" analysis, the groups said.

"The AWI, BFC, and Mr. Farmer oppose the sport hunting of any bison on the NER," the letter said. "However, if the agencies deem a reduction in population size necessary, they should be mindful that there are less cruel alternatives available for meeting this goal. At a minimum, the agencies are obligated to restructure this year's hunt to terminate bison hunting on the NER if or when 150 bison have been killed."

The groups also said the hunt was authorized before Game and Fish set a bison herd objective. The agency has said work to set that objective will begin later this year.

"By not engaging in this review before initiating a hunt, the WGFD is clearly predetermining the outcome of the process and making a mockery of the public participation phase inherent to the decision-making exercise," the letter said.

Martin said allegations made against the Game and Fish Department "appear to be missing some facts."

The groups also questioned the legality of the hunt expansion area, the duration of the bison hunt, and the fairness and ethics of the hunt in their letter. They also repeatedly hammered the agencies for a feeding program which they say artificially keeps bison populations high.

Refuge managers have said they do not want to feed bison, but can't push them off of feedlines.

So far, the hunt on the refuge has seen one bull and one cow bison killed. There have been five bulls and six cows killed in total on the refuge and neighboring national forest land this year.

There are three two-week periods for hunters to kill animals on the refuge. The first started Saturday. Agency officials have said they will wait to see the results of the first six weeks of hunting before determining how and if to continue.

Environmental reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or at royster@tribcsp.com.