They are criminals and we handle them like we would any other criminals who commit similar crimes.
Like getting search warrants for their houses, and seizing their cattle under civil forfeiture laws. That’ll get them home quick.
Both of those are excellent ideas.
“It was horrible, Injuns EVERYWHERE! There was nowhere to turn!”
“Sure thing, Mr. Mountain Meadows. Now suppose you tell us what REALLY happened…”
Seizing Bundy cattle, eh? I seem to remember that not going so well last time.
Yeah, but they’ve made the classic error of splitting their forces. With so many up in Oregon, this is the ideal time to move in Nevada.
What do you recommend, then, that is realistic, possible, and not going to cause more problems than it solves?
Fight fire with fire. This whole thing is so funny that the response has to be just as funny. I’m thinking the proportional response is for the authorities to have a “supporter” sneak them a large cooler full of food. When they open it, it’s a box full of really irate skunks. If the feds really want to escalate the situation, use honey badgers instead.
One of them hides under a tarpaulin.
You’d think anyone over the age of three would understand that closing your own eyes does not make you invisible.
I’m not in a position to come up with good ideas, only to shoot down bad ones that we’ve already tried 
Actually, seizing their cattle isn’t a bad idea, it just falls into the category of “causes more problems than it solves,” if history is an indicator.
Doesn’t that just let them shout “Look! Ah’m bein’ repressed!”
I really like the idea of them getting cold and hungry and just going home*, which is why if I were one of the locals I wouldn’t send them pots of soup.
*where they’ll be presented with a bill, and an arrest warrant, of course.
“Nobody under here but us firewood!”
Turning off the power seems like such an obvious move at this point, I’m not sure why it hasn’t been done yet.
The men-folk are away this time though. Just the threat of that might dislodge them.
An obvious move at this point would be to surround the refuge, demand that they come out with hands up, and when they don’t, storm the premises and make arrests.
We’ve moved well beyond what’s obvious.
Has the FBI closed down the roads? No.
Has the OSP (Oregon State Police) closed down the roads? No.
Is any law enforcement agency preventing protestors or supporters from entering of leaving the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupied buildings? No.
A standoff requires two or more opposing parties. The protestors are present and the media is present. Not one media outlet has named a LE agency that is actually present at the MNWR.
Then you get another Waco or Ruby Ridge. Probably lose a couple of cops, and create martyrs.
They are following the procedure used with the Montana Freemen. Quietly surround them until they realize that there are not getting any real support, the nation is not rising up with them, and it is damned cold in the visitor’s center.
Letting this drag on has no real downside. Whatever the cost is for having a few feds “blockading” the place, it is almost certainly less than the cost would be for anything that results in dead hillbillies. Dead hillbillies will require investigations, and inquiries, and hearings, and expert witnesses and then more hearings and inquiries and investigations. It’ll drag on for years, fire up other delusional hillbillies, and just generally be the kind of goat rodeo that results when the feds try to play rough. OTOH, waiting is relatively cheap, and the delusional hillbillies have essentially already done the feds the favor of incarcerating themselves. Eventually they’ll get hungry or bored enough to give up. Then they can be arrested and charged for whatever laws they’ve broken.
The refuge is 50 miles from the nearest town. Onsite heating fuel could be either CNG or fuel oil, which would be stored in large tanks. It could also be assumed that the maintenance dept would have portable generators that could provide electricity.
Drama leads to trauma. Deflate the drama, make it boring. Shut off services, maybe post one highway patrol guy about half mile up the road, give them a phone number to call when they sane up. Anybody wants to join them let 'em. Then those shoebats can worry about which ones are FBI plants. If anybody shows up at all…