Monitoring elk and cattle forage use under a specialized grazing system in Arizona

Abstract

The grazing system I studied is intended to promote sustainable elk (Cervus elaphus) and cattle use, attracting elk to cattle-grazed pastures, thus resting the others. My objective was to determine whether the grazing system (1) promotes sustainable levels of forage use and (2) rests half the pastures each year. The grazing system did promote sustainable forage use but did not rest half the pastures; elk used all study pastures. Elk grazing patterns depended more on cover and topography than the grazing system. Essential to the study of grazing interactions are reliable utilization data. My objective was to compare forage use estimates obtained with the paired-plot and 2 height-weight methods (i.e., using on-site height-weight regression curves and the United States Forest Service height-weight gauge). Height-weight methods produced lower but more precise use estimates than the paired-plot method. Height-weight estimates did not differ significantly when calculated with on-site curves or the USFS gauge.