GREEN RIVER - Hunters killed 266 bison in the Jackson bison herd last fall as part of the Game and Fish Department's continuing effort to reduce numbers in the overpopulated herd, according to agency managers.

Officials said 222 of the bison were taken by sportsmen hunting on the National Elk Refuge north of Jackson.

It was the first bison hunt allowed on the refuge in 17 years. Elk on the refuge have been hunted for many years.

"The hunt went very well," Pinedale region wildlife supervisor Bernie Holz said.

"There were some happy hunters up there," Holz said. "I think in general people were pretty pleased. Some people had some fairly easy hunts and some people had some fairly difficult hunts."

Game and Fish officials had hoped to cull about 300 bison from the 1,200 animals in the herd. The agency's population objective for Jackson herd is 400 bison.

Herd populations have been increasing steadily by about 15 percent a year since 1990, when legal wrangling ended bison hunting on the refuge.

Bison have been hunted on neighboring Bridger-Teton National Forest and private lands, but many of the animals stay on the refuge and have been difficult to harvest.

The final Jackson Bison and Elk Management Plan issued in April 2007 allows for hunting on the refuge as a management tool to reduce bison numbers. The plan noted expanding the hunt to include refuge lands will improve bison distribution, minimize damage to essential wildlife habitat and reduce human conflicts.

The Game and Fish conducts supplemental feeding of bison and elk on the refuge each winter. Officials said the hunt is necessary, in part, because the growing number of bison on the refuge increases the risk of the transmission of diseases such as brucellosis on feedlines.

Holz said the hunter success was "fairly high." He said 85 bulls and 137 cows were harvested from the refuge, and 27 bulls and 17 cows were harvested from nearby national forest lands.

The hunt had its critics. Last September, two wildlife advocacy groups challenged the hunt's legality and contended the number of bison targeted for hunting was excessive and arbitrary.

The bison and elk management plan for the Jackson herd calls for a bison population of 500 animals. Holz said the department is seeking Game and Fish Commission approval for increasing the agency's population objective to 500 bison.

Hunters eligible to hunt for bison on the refuge applied for permits in 2007. Applicants were placed on a priority list through a random drawing. Resident and non-resident applicants eligible for a license were then notified by the Game and Fish prior to the fall hunt.

Southwest Wyoming Bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at (307) 875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.