Effects of Cattle Grazing on Mule Deer Diet and Area Selection

Abstract

Split enclosures, half grazed and half ungrazed by cattle in summer, were compared for mule deer habitat use in late summer using tame deer. Diet composition, dietary nutrition, and area selected for grazing by mule deer were used as criteria to assess the grazing effects of cattle. Generally few dietary or nutritional differences were determined. Nonetheless, deer preferred to forage on areas ungrazed by livestock at low deer use levels, but this preference rapidly decreased as deer use increased.