Are Elk Browsers or Grazers?

[RoninMp5]

Just curious, I know that deer are brownsers, but I am not sure if Elk follow the same pattern. I know both are ungulates, at least, I was told both were ungulates.

[MTdrahthaar]

Elk are both, althought mainly grazers.

[moosehunter30]

elk are mostly grazers

[BrutalAttack]

ORIGINAL: RoninMp5

Just curious, I know that deer are brownsers, but I am not sure if Elk follow the same pattern. I know both are ungulates, at least, I was told both were ungulates.

Yes they are both ungulates.

Elk were historially grazers and are technically still classified as such, however there is much overlap between grazers and browsers.

Grasses, sedges, and forbs are preferred elk grazing forage.

But, in many areas in North America they are primarily browsers. Redstem ceanothus,snowbrushceanothus (and other ceanothus species), quaking aspen, mountainmaple, snowberry, ninebark and numerous others are some heavily utilized browse species.

[gselkhunter]

What elk eat is determined by time of year. Different plants offer different nutrients, they also grow at different times of spring and summer and fall.
Elk need to rebuild at the end of winter, so they eat plants that will give them proteins and minerals to rebuild on. Cows will need additional fats for newborns to nurse on. Bulls need serious minerals to build antlers. At end of summer they need proteins and fats to store energyfor the winter. It takes a wide variety of plant life to cover all their needs. But 60% of the intake is grass.
Gselkhunter

[triggerhappy]

grazers foremost. At one time in our history the greatest number of elk were found in the great plains area, but with western expansion the rockys became their sanctuary.

[game4lunch]

GRAZE:1.to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.







BROWSE1.to eat, nibble at, or feed on (leaves, tender shoots, or other soft vegetation).
2.to graze; pasture on.

I'd best describe them as foragers.
1.food for horses or cattle; fodder; provender.
2.the seeking or obtaining of such food.
3.the act of searching for provisions of any kind.

They constantly roam to find food. They'll eat new growth off the pine trees, willow shoots, scrape the bark off of Aspens like a kid eating candy, to mention a few food items. And they LOVE mushrooms! They bed in order to "chew their cud", just like bovines.

Just my .02

[cherokee_outfitters]

A biologist that lives in elk country is going to tell you elk are browers. 75% of an elk's yearly diet is from eating barks,brush tops, and smaller plants that are still green in the winter months. Alot of us see elk in meadows eating various types of grasses and small plants and therefore we consider them to be grazers like cattle or buffalo. Elk are opportunists when it comes down to putting on fat for calves and growing antlers. Along with storing fat for the winter. So elk eat the most available food in large quanities with mediocre protiens for storing needed fat which is grasses. They use grasses as both a filler and protein requirements. But when grasses die in the later fall so does most of its protein. Then grass only becomes a filler to the elk and mainly eat hardier plants that still have liquid proteins. By choice elk will flatten a meadow full of clover. It is the most protein they can get at that time of the year.

Elk describe as foragers probally best describe's them as a whole throughout the year. Elk are more browsers than grazers. But it depends on where, what's avalibleand what time of year it is.

[triggerhappy]

From RMEF

Taxonomy
Scientific name
"¢Cervus elaphus

Subspecies
"¢ Rocky Mountain (Rocky Mountain West)
"¢ Roosevelt's (Pacific Coast)
"¢ Tule (Central California)
"¢ Manitoban (northern Great Plains)
"¢ Merriam's (Southwest and Mexico) - Extinct
"¢ Eastern (east of the Mississippi) - Extinct

Deer family
"¢ Elk
"¢ Moose
"¢ Caribou
"¢ Mule deer
"¢ White-tailed deer


Biology




Who's Who

Bull

Male elk

Cow

Female elk

Calf

Baby elk

Spike

Yearling bull elk




Size


Newborn calf

35 pounds (16 kg)

Cow

500 punds (225 kg)
4 1/2 feet (1.3 m) at the shoulder
6 1/2 feet (2 m) from nose to tail

Bull

700 pounds (315 kg)
5 feet (1.5 m) at the shoulder
8 feet (2.4 m) from nose to tail
Color
"¢ Body varies from deep copper brown to light tan
"¢ Rump patch light beige
"¢ Legs and neck often darker than body

Calves
"¢ Typically born in late May through early June
"¢ Calves are born spotted and scentless
"¢ They spend their first few weeks hiding motionless while their mothers feed






Diet

"¢Summer

grasses and forbs

"¢Spring and fall

grasses

"¢Winter

grasses, shrubs, tree bark and twigs

"¢Elk may supplement their diet at licks, where they take in minerals that may helpthem grow healthy coats and produce nutritious milk

"¢An elk's stomach has four chambers: the first stores food, and the other three digest it
Antlers
"¢ Only male elk have antlers
"¢ Bulls shed and grow a new set of antlers every year
"¢ New antlers are covered infuzzy skin called velvet
"¢ Antlers harden by late summer and the velvet peels away
"¢ By September, antlers are solid bone
"¢ A set of antlers on a mature bull can weigh up to 40 pounds

Ivories
"¢ An elk's top two canine teeth are called ivories
"¢ Scientists believe ivories are remnants of saber-like tusks that ancestral species of elk used in combat
"¢ Most hunters save ivories as a memento of the hunt

Thermoregulation

Winter
"¢ Elk grow winter coats consisting of long, waterproof guard hairs covering dense, woolly underfur
"¢ During the day, elk feed on open, sunny slopes
"¢ Elk bed down in the trees at night to seek shelter from wind and cold temperatures

Summer
"¢ An elk's summer coat consists of short, stiff, relatively sparse hairs
"¢ Elk bed down in cool, shady forests during the day
"¢ Elk wade or lie in streams, rivers, ponds and lakes to seek relief from heat and biting insects
"¢ Blood pumping through the veins in the velvet on a bull's antlers cools before it returns to the heart to help cool the animal


Behavior

Social Organization
"¢ Cows, calves and yearlings live in loose herds or groups
"¢ Bulls live in bachelor groups or alone
"¢ During the rut, cows and calves form harems with one or two mature bulls

Body Postures
"¢ When alarmed, elk raise their heads high, open their eyes wide, move stiffly and rotate their ears to listen
"¢ If a harem cow wanders, a bull stretches his neck out low, tips up his nose, tilts his antlers back and circles her
"¢ Elk threaten each other by curling back their upper lip, grinding their teeth and hissing softly
"¢ Agitated elk hold their heads high, lay their ears back and flare their nostrils, and sometimes even punch with their front hooves






Vocalizations


LISTEN

Bull elk bugle to attract cows and advertise their dominance to other bulls



Bull elk grunt at cows straying from the harem

LISTEN

Cows bark to warn others of danger

LISTEN

Cows mew to keep track of one another



Cows signal to their calves by whining softly



Calves in distress bleat for their mothers
Staying Comfortable
"¢ In cold snowy climates, cows, calves and young bulls migrate to foothills and valleys in winter
"¢ An experienced elk, usually the lead cow,guides a herd between seasonal ranges

The Rut
"¢ Elk breed in the fall
"¢ Bulls gather cows and calves into small groups called harems
"¢ Bulls wallow in mud to coat themselves with "perfume" to attract cows
"¢ They also bugle and horn trees, shrubs and the ground with their antlers to attract cows and intimidate other bulls
"¢ Bulls aggressively guard their harems from other bulls
"¢ Sometimes, bulls wage violent battles for a harem, occasionally even fighting to the death


Range and Habitat

Range
"¢ Prior to European settlement, more than 10 million elk roamed nearly all of the United States and parts of Canada
"¢ Today, aboutone million elk live in the western United States, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina, and from Ontario west in Canada

Habitat
"¢ Food, water, shelter and space are essential to elk survival
"¢ Elk live in a variety of habitats, from rainforests to alpine meadows and dry desert valleys to hardwood forests.


Cultural Uses
American Indians
"¢ Hunted elk for food
"¢ Used hides for clothing and blankets
"¢ Fashioned bones and antlers into tools
"¢ Decorated garments with ivories, or traded them for goods

Lewis and Clark
"¢ The Corps of Discover killed and ate at least 375 elk during the Lewis and Clark Expedition
"¢ Each man consumed roughlyeight pounds of meat daily
"¢ They used elk hides for clothing, moccasins, blankets, ropes, patching canoes and to cover gear

European Settlers
"¢ Hunted elk for food
"¢ Used hides for clothing

Modern-day Hunters
"¢ Hunt elk for food
"¢ Hang antlers on their walls to remember the hunt and celebrate the animal
"¢ Wear gloves, coats and chaps made of elk hide
"¢ Use antlers to make belt buckles, knife handles and chandeliers
"¢ Adorn rings, bracelets and key chains with ivories


Management

"¢ European settlers reduced the elk population from 10 million to less than 100,000 by 1900
"¢ Hunters and wildlife managers began transplanting elk all over the United States and Canada in the early 1900s
"¢ They captured elk from Yellowstone National Park and transported them by wagon, truck and train
"¢ Elk herds re-established in most western states, and in Pennsylvania
"¢ State and provincial game agencies eventually restored herds in Arkansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, Kentucky, Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
"¢ State and provincial game managers conduct annual elk counts and use the data to set hunting seasons and the number of licenses issued
"¢ State and federal agencies team with groups like the Elk Foundation to purchase and improve wildlife habitat

Note: a four chamber stomach is normally consistant with grazing animals.

[game4lunch]

If we can't hunt them . . . At least we can talk about them! Ya-hoo

Seems like we're splitting (elk) hairs.

Let's just say: they don't eat meat.

RoninMp5 . . . I'm wondering why you ask?