FAIRFIELD -- Two hundred elk are missing from the South Fork of the Boise River, and Idaho Fish and Game officials are scrambling to find out why.

Game officials have been feeding herds as large as 1,000 animals for more than 60 years. With snow more than three feet deep this year, 650 elk typically would have been crowding the feed stations north of Fairfield. This year, barely 400 have been feeding.

The last count was in 2004. The disappearance of so many elk in two years is worrying Randy Smith, Region Four wildlife biologist for Fish and Game.

He has authorized an aerial survey of the area surrounding the feed sites. His flights found two radio-collared animals in the Soldier Creek area, far south of any previously reported Big Smoky collared elk, and nearly a dozen collared animals at the traditional feed grounds.

"I had reports the past two fall seasons of 200 elk down on the Camas Prairie (south of Soldier Mountain near Fairfield)," Smith said. "I don't know where they came from."

The arrival of the mystery herd on Camas Prairie coincides with the confirmation in 2003 by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Soldier Mountain wolf pack in the upper Boise River drainage.

So, where did the 200 elk go? Smith offers several possibilities. According to Smith, many elk on the Jackson Hole feed grounds in Wyoming have not returned to traditional feed grounds after wolves started harassing them in the snowbound basin.

"This may be a positive thing," Smith said. "These animals may have moved themselves to new winter range to avoid conflicts with the wolves."

Smith has reports of small groups of elk wintering in new areas of the upper Soldier Creek drainage, miles south of the traditional Big Smoky feed grounds.

Back on the feed grounds, Fred Marolf of Fairfield is finding more wolf activity. Marolf has contracted with Fish and Game for five years to feed elk in the Big Smoky area. "We found fresh wolf tracks on the feed grounds," Marolf said. "It looked like someone had opened the dog pound door."

Fish and Game officials are in the process of establishing 2006 big game hunting seasons.

"I'm seriously considering eliminating the cow hunts on the unit (Unit 43)," Smith said.

For now, it's up to the Fish and Game Commission to approve Smith's plans at the commission's March meetings.

(Rusty Tews lives in the north Shoshone area. He can be reached at tewsranch2s@yahoo.com .)