Rangeland Ecology & Management

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Forage Selection by Mule Deer on Winter Range Grazed by Sheep in Spring
Author
Smith, M. A.
Malechek, J. C.
Fulgham, K. O.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
1979-01-01
Body

Late spring grazing by sheep altered the amount of several forage categories available to deer the subsequent autumn and winter. Total herbaceous plant material was much reduced by spring-time sheep grazing, but regrowth following fall precipitation increased the proportion of green herbaceous material available. Current year's growth of bitterbrush was also increased relative to the nongrazed situation due to the release of moisture and nutrients accompanying the removal of herbaceous plants by sheep. Subsequently winter diets of mule deer on the sheep-grazed area were higher in herbaceous components but lower in shrub components than on the adjacent area where sheep had not been previously grazed. Implications of these findings are that quality of deer diets was not detrimentally affected where sheep had grazed during the preceding spring and a much greater animal yield is possible through dual use. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2307/3897382
Additional Information
Smith, M. A., Malechek, J. C., & Fulgham, K. O. (1979). Forage selection by mule deer on winter range grazed by sheep in spring. Journal of Range Management, 32(1), 40-45.
IISN
0022-409X
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/646509
Journal Volume
32
Journal Number
1
Journal Pages
40-45
Journal Name
Journal of Range Management
Keywords
Utah