Elk impact on Whitetail and Mule deer

[bjfoxhoven]

Just like the title says. Out scouting I found MANY whitetails feeding between groups of elk (mainly bulls). However, I never saw many mule deer around elk. Most of those spots were down low in the draws, where I didn’t expect to see many mule deer bucks. But did see some mule deer does not too far away. i realize they feed on different plants being grazers and browsers. But what impact have you all seen between the three deer species. It seems to me the mule deer are less tolerant of the other two deer species.
One area I had hoped to find some bucks feeding up this high north east facing basin (with an awesome bedding shelf with timber in it) I found more bull elk. No deer in there that I saw. I could have missed them though too. Found a couple mule seer does maybe 3/4. Mile away along the ridge.
Thoughts?

 

[rayporter]

i have always hunted too high for the WT but i have watched MD eat with elk a few times. i once shot a buck that was among a heard of elk.

 

[sneaky]

From my experience, mule deer don't tolerate a lot of elk presence. If I find a ton of elk I know that deer sightings are going to be few and far between. Experienced that all last week in Nevada. If I found elk, there were no deer. Where I found deer there were no elk. It can vary at times but when I'm deer hunting I don't really want to see elk.

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[Jaden Bales]

They found in the Starkey Experimental Forest research that larger numbers of elk can definitely displace mule deer from quality habitat, though.

I think that’d be an overall observation because they definitely intermix a little, as a lot of folks have seen.

I have a buddy who has whiteys on his elk trail camera for the first time this year where he’s never seen a mule deer. I think they don’t care nearly as much about the elk as MDs.

 

[Riflehuntr19]

Game agencies have studied it and there doesn’t seem to be anything definitive I’ve read but there are some indications like Jaden said that elk can bump deer off feed and there’s carrying capacity effects. Some areas have had serious declines in deer populations corresponding in time with big jumps in elk numbers. Who knows but there’s enough for me to be concerned for deer.

 

[Coues123]

I've hunted elk in several states and seen all 3 species on the same ridge. Over 50 years of hunting I've seen populations of all 3 rise and fall in the same area. In one area as a kid in the 70s it was nothing to see 200 head a day, in early 2000s you might see 2 head in 3 days and today 25 head on the same ride on the same ranch. As a rancher also, I see them together all the time and honestly never noticed a change.

 

[highfastflyer]

The Starkey study demonstrated how elk displace the mule deer. Dr. Monteith, one of the best researchers currently on big game ungulates from University of Wyoming has studied it and has stated many times he has observed elk eating the very same forage as mule deer on Summer range so they are directly competing. Many high alpine basins in Wyoming once held numerous trophy bucks, now all you see are nerds of elk where 25 years ago the elk were rare or never seen. A great podcast on current status of Wyoming deer herds but skip to 20 minute point for his elk research. https://www.nwfoutdoors.org/2020/09/

 

[zwickeyman]

IMHO Elk and Whitetail eat closer to the same things than Elk and Muledeer. Elk and Whitetail are grazers where Muledeer are browsers. Now all 3 eat some of the same things but not all. There is no doubt though that Elk compete for food with both and I have seen when Elk populations grow in an area Deer populations goes down

 

[MTSasquatch]

There is dietary overlap between elk and mule deer, depending on season and available forage species. It has been shown that elk will displace deer.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Elk can push deer out of areas. However, the best country i have seen is pretty darn good for both mule deer and elk, presumably because there us enough feed for both. These areas have a lot of forage and a variety of it. In my experience these areas that are consistently good for both are becoming less common.

 

[Coues123]

I wish someone would talk to the 40 head of mule deer on my winter wheat and eating all the pecans in my orchard and remind them they are browsers not grazers.

 

[zwickeyman]

Coues123

You know what I mean

Elk do browse and Deer do graze but you just need to straighten them out

 

[Coues123]

Coues123

You know what I mean

Elk do browse and Deer do graze but you just need to straighten them out

Yes I do know what you mean. I just happen to be looking out the window at them when I wrote it.
I have tried for years to straighten them out by letting the local kids bow hunt them. I have a bunch of dads who are dying in the truck watching their kids learn to hunt.

 

[Wassid82]

Game agencies have studied it and there doesn’t seem to be anything definitive I’ve read but there are some indications like Jaden said that elk can bump deer off feed and there’s carrying capacity effects. Some areas have had serious declines in deer populations corresponding in time with big jumps in elk numbers. Who knows but there’s enough for me to be concerned for deer.

I’ve read several scientific studies on this question. But in general Deer and Elk can be In the same space but they usually focus on different food sources. Elk tend to be more grass forbes and deer more wood briers. I’ll try to include a link to an article or two. Sometimes they compete for the same food but most of the articles I’ve read found that it mostly happens during the summer months. This leads me to believe that deer and elk can occupy the same space during most hunting seasons without too much competition for food. I’m uncertain about watering holes.....

Diet Composition, Forage Selection, and Potential for Forage Competition Among Elk, Deer, and Livestock on Aspen–Sagebrush Summer Range

We evaluated elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), cattle (Bos taurus), and domestic sheep (Ovis aries) diet composition, diet overla…

www.sciencedirect.com

 

[2ski]

I've seen an elk run around playing with a herd of pronghorn. So there is that too.

 

[thewileyone]

I have seen Mulies and elk in close proximity to each other over the years. But during that time frame, the elk populations have risen while the Mule Deer populations have declined.