Mower and Smith looked at the diet similarity of elk and mule deer in northcentral Utah. Elk and mule deer had a 71% diet similarity with little separation in type of forage selected. Two reasons for the high diet overlap on the winter range was that vegetative diversity was low and the availability of forbs and grasses was reduced in winter by plant dormancy and snow cover. The elk seemed to displace the mule deer by high-lining available browse to a point where deer could no longer reach, as well as their ability to eat shrub and tree leaders with larger diameters, leaving deer with terminals too large to eat. Mower and Smith urged for less human disturbance, during times of winter stress, and proper management throughout the year to ease the amount of competition between deer and elk.
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.