Foods of Wild Horses, Deer, and Cattle in the Douglas Mountain Area, Colorado

Abstract

The foods of wild horses, cattle, and mule deer were determined from 10 widely separated areas in the Douglas Mountain Area, northwest of Craig, Colo. The major foods of wild horses and cattle were needlegrasses, wheatgrasses, and brome; those of mule deer were sagebrush and mountainmahogany. The dietary overlap for wild horses and deer was 1%, cattle and deer 4%, and wild horses and cattle was 77%. Wild horses and cattle selected foods in a significantly similar order.