Livestock Grazing and Elk

[Swede]

Where I hunt cattle grazing has a strong adverse effect on elk use. Sometimes the forage pretty much all consumed by cattle by the time hunting comes around. The elk are left high on the slopes and in hard to reach places only. Due to severe grazing and heavy hunting pressure most of the elk have gone to the ranch where forage is much better by early in the archery season.
Some areas have no cattle so of coarse there is no cattle problem. Some places have few cattle or they are well managed, so I would assume the conflict is minimal. Other places, like where I hunt, the problem ranges from slight to very significant. What have you observed where you hunt?

 

[OldMan]

I\'ve observed no cattle where I hunt. I\'ve always been careful where I pick my spots to hunt that they weren\'t near any private land. Maybe an old mine, but no ranches.

 

[bnsafe]

there are cattle grazing areas where i hunt, an your right. where the cattle havnt grazed usually has grass an elk sign, where they have been is pretty barren

 

[cnelk]

If the cattle are bunched up in a larger herd, most definitely they will graze down the grass, but if there are only a few here and there, the elk dont mind that too much.

The cattle are always moving to the better grass, if not by themselves, the cowboys will push them to another draw or meadow as required by the FS.
The FS has these grazing patterns on each allotment and you can call them and ask how many \'pairs\' are in a certain area and which way they are grazed.

Then, with your scouting, locate the cattle and either hunt in front of of the cattle or where they have been [a week later is best]

 

[Deertick]

The trouble is that sometimes there is a roundup or a drive to push cattle ... so cowboys, horses, dogs ... all moving through the woods ... THAT stirs things up, for sure.

 

[elkmtngear]

The trouble is that sometimes there is a roundup or a drive to push cattle ... so cowboys, horses, dogs ... all moving through the woods ... THAT stirs things up, for sure.

Fortunately, we\'ve never run into that in Colorado, but we did end up in the middle of a drive in Oregon many years ago. Definitely wouldn\'t expect to see a lot of elk around in that scenario!

It\'s not unusual for us to see elk and cattle in the same big park at the same time. The cattle just seem to be everywhere, including almost all the good waterholes. There are a few honey holes I know of where I have never seen moo cows, but not many. :agg:

 

[cohunter14]

If the cattle are bunched up in a larger herd, most definitely they will graze down the grass, but if there are only a few here and there, the elk dont mind that too much.

In my experience, this is correct. I have seen elk running through the same areas where cows are scattered about.