Elk, mule deer, and cattle habitats in central Arizona
Published source details Wallace M.C. & Krausman P.R. (1987) Elk, mule deer, and cattle habitats in central Arizona. Journal of Range Management, 40, 80-83.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
| Action | Category | |
|---|---|---|
Reduce intensity of grazing by domestic livestock Action Link |
Reduce intensity of grazing by domestic livestock
A controlled, before-and-after study in 1981–1982 in a forest and meadow mosaic in Arizona, USA (Wallace & Krausman 1987) found that an absence of cattle grazing was associated with higher numbers of elk Cervus canadensis and mule deer Odocoileus hemionus. There were 0.13 elk/km counted on transects in absence of cattle grazing and 0.01/km after grazing commenced whereas, concurrently, on a continually ungrazed pasture, 0.21 and 0.50 elk/km respectively were counted. The number of mule deer counted on transects fell from 0.07/km in absence of grazing to 0.00/km after grazing commenced whereas 0.02 mule deer/km were counted on a continually ungrazed pasture during both time periods. The 135 km2-study area was divided into two pastures. One was ungrazed in both years. The other was ungrazed in 1981 and stocked with cattle, at a rate of one animal unit (equivalent to a cow and suckling calf)/3 ha in May–July 1982. Elk and mule deer were counted in July and August, along a 48-km driving transect, 20 times in 1981 and 14 times in 1982.
(Summarised by: Nick Littlewood)
