Wallace and Krausman studied the effects of cattle grazing on the habitat selection of elk and mule deer. The authors found that the number of cattle within the study site, considered to be a moderate stocking rate, inhibited elk selection of the habitat types they preferred in the ungrazed treatments. Mule deer did not seem to be displaced by the cattle, since the cattle were never found in the areas classified as mule deer habitat. Overall, the presence of cattle on the grazed treatments had a negative effect on elk and mule deer numbers.
Citations and enhanced abstracts for journals articles and documents focused on rangeland ecology and management. RSIS is a collaboration between Montana State University, University of Idaho, and University of Wyoming.