Originally Posted by VarmintGuy
Pete53: I have Hunted the "high country" right in amongst "cows" in the fall and there have been countless times I have seen Elk feeding in the same mountain meadows as "cows", this over a period of 50+ years now!
"Cows" and Elk indeed both eat grass but I have never seen a public land leased area where "ALL" the grass was gone.
Now heres one I am sure you won't believe but I am going to relay it to you anyway.
Back around the year 2,000 I had occasion to be watching television here in SW Montana when on comes a 30 minute program describing a long term study that the U.S.F.S. and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks made addressing the issue of Elk vs. "Cows" on publicly leased grazing lands!
The study took place over many years and took place in one huge area north of Dillon, Montana in the Mount Haggin and Fleecer Mountain areas and in between!
The study was intended to reveal any harm the "cows" feeding on leases that were in traditional Elk habitat.
The biologists would alternate closing large areas to cattle grazing and then opening them and moving the "cows" to adjoining areas!
Without exception over the course of the study the Elk would prefer to feed on the areas that had been recently cropped off by cattle!
The Elk actually followed the cattle as they were alternated in areas and fed behind them.
Back and forth they tested this situation and it kept proving up - the Elk preferred to feed on areas the "cows" had fed on!
The theory was then put forth that the "cropped" (fed on) mountain grasses grew back with MORE protein in them after being "mowed down" by the "cows"!
The premise of this theory depends on the ability of Elk to smell/sense or some how tell that the cropped grasses have more protein in them when they start growing back!
It was interesting to watch this puzzling to me program but they actually filmed the collared (tracked) Elk following the "cows" to feed.
Now you can call B.S. on this premise if you wish but before you do I advise you to contact a game biologist of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to see if they have views on "cows" harming Elk feeding habitat.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy


I can't speak to elk, but we've had 4-5 year stretches with no grazing followed by 4-5 year stretches with cattle. The cycles with cattle we see more of every kind of wildlife and have less trouble with invasive plants. I think cattle help much more than they hurt provided you dont' complely overgraze and run it into the ground which very few people probably do these days.