Cattle and Deer Competition

COSA

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I've been seeing at least 20 cows for every deer I see scouting this year, granted cows are a lot easier to see. But how much do cattle compete with deer? I've heard two different schools of thought, one being grazing is detrimental and the other is that cattle eat mainly grass which helps shrubs grow. And how much predation to cows on the summer range recieve? Seems to me the calfs would be easy pickens for lions. Not trying to create a hunter vs. rancher thread, just if anyone has some real knowledge/facts.
 
In our operation over the years I've decided as long as there are not too many cattle they don't have much of an effect on the deer but elk do seem more bothered by them.too many elk run the deer off faster than cattle in my experience. I'll admit if you have way too many cattle in an area and this is most often on private ground they destroy everything and will run all the game out and in that case you better look somewhere else. I don't feel grazing hurts a thing as long as the cattle are moved often enough and in the proper numbers. we don't run on the USFS anymore but we have lions everywhere and as far as I know in 45 years we've never had a lion kill on cattle but it does happen.
 
I agree with huntindude. Cattle can be beneficial to the land as long as proper management is taken. When our cattle go on to the range we make sure that the grass plants are mature enough so they will not be damaged. I do also agree that the elk will run out the deer more than cattle will. I have noticed that deer tend to feed more on the North side of a hill and higher elevations than cattle are typically in. Has anyone else noticed this, or something similar to?
 
I will third that statement. Now sheep are another story. They will eat the folage right down to the dirt. Usually cows are wanderers and will browse as they move. Sheep stay in one area until all the feed is gone then the herder moves them.

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Cattle and sheep are very good for deer. Look at area G and H in Wyoming. Arguably some of the best hunting in the West during the 80's and 90's but it had some of the most cattle and deer I have ever seen on public land. Fact is that there is a ton of grass in those areas and deer make a living just fine with the cattle and sheep.

The best thing about cattle and sheep is the ranchers that stay with the animals. They shoot every coyote and bear that gives them trouble. A few years ago by Rosevelt Meadows there was a female Grizz and her cubs that were removed because of the conflict with sheep. Imagine how many deer that saved. Now imagine how many coyotes they shot that year as well.

The knee jerk reaction is that sheep eat everything but go to Region H now and look at the areas that have had the grazing permits retired. They are thick with grasss as high as my waist. Plenty of feed for both animals if you ask me.

"One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
 
I own cattle and am an outfitter, so I have several biases on this one. For the most part, ranching in our area is good for deer. The main benefit has been water developoment. The deer, antelope and elk really benefit from that. And most ranches in our area are private and have moderate stocking rates. So the cattle move around and are OK.

But in some cases, overgrazing causes problems. With the current drought, there are plenty of places that are grazed way too hard, but it is a reality; ranchers need to make a living. But wildlife lack cover and undesirable species are on the increase on many of our range lands.

I also see what I call spatial displacement with cattle and deer. If cattle are grazing a pasture, the deer often move out. This is especially true with mature bucks. They seem to avoid the chaos in general.

Anyway, it's a trade-off. The feed provided by alfalfa or irrigated meadows that are primarily for cattle really help deer. So does the water development. But sometimes they compete for space and resources.
 
If your seeing 1 deer per 20 cows, there is either a ton of deer or very few cattle in the area!

One thing to keep in mind is that as far as public lands go there are fewer cattle and sheep grazing them now than at any time during the "hayday" of mule deer hunting. Personally, I think grazing from either really helps the deer. Many areas around here are becoming over run with elk. My thought is that the elk have moved in and thrived due to cut backs in cattle grazing which have left more grass, which elk prefer.
 
Sounds like cows and deer have a similar relationship as antelope and buffalo used to. In the early days, the buffalo and antelope roamed together. The buffalo ate the taller grass low enough to allow the antelope to get the food that the antelope prefered closer to the ground. It was a great relationship because together they'd move from area to area. The area that they had grazed down got the sun it needed to re-grow a new food source. When the buffalo were killed off, a lot of the antelope starved to death because they werent getting the propper food that they needed. Pretty interesting stuff.
 
With our experience in the deserts of Az. we see that the more cattle in an area the more deer we seem to see. I think it is because of the water but also those cows are there for a reason. The only draw back to cattle, that I can see, is they seem to have a nack for screwing up a stalk! In short, down here cattle are a good sign.
 

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