xtreme
Very Active Member
I should have just said,"overgrazing". Our cattle are concentrated and eat all available food before moving on.
Does grazing cattle affect elk in an area?
- Thread starter rackpack
- Start date
Conejos Lake Fork Ranch
New Member
When was your trip near Conejos Peak? I hunted this area for 13 seasons and operate a bussiness on the Conejos River, the Forest service has strict rules for cattle grazing as to not over graze any area. Ive never seen where cattle in this area negativly impact elk in fact i have seen them grazing together and watching out for each other. As fas as no elk near Conejos Peak there are always elk in that area one must know what elk sign looks like.
swampokie
Veteran member
Nothing like a first post to question someone's elk iq! Welcome to the forum rabbit river renter!
If you do hunt elk around cattle cut out a beef cow decoy out of 1/4 in plywood, cut holes in the plywood and cover them with black window screen so you can stay hidden but still see where you are going and paint it black. Use the decoy to gain ground on the elk. Works great on all game including ducks and geese. 1/2 inch conduit handles screwed to the back of it makes it alot easier to carry.
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xtreme
Very Active Member
Yea, I know about the over grazing. About three or four years ago the grazers won a good stewardship award for not over grazing. Since then it seems to me they have grazed to bare ground. They come through bear creek and loosen my newell post to the railing. There is absolutely zero no doubt cattle negatively impact elk. I have see bear in the same field with cattle more than once, doesn't mean they are friends. I was just up to tobacco lake and yes I know there will be elk up there along with 1.5 million hunters in season. I described the situation with the sheep up the Conejos, all sheep no elk, zero, not one elk in the woods, impacted by sheep, sheep herders, and dogs. I think the misunderstanding is the location referred to. The cattle I am referring about come from the direction of Chama toward La Manga, the Conejos peak was sheep.
Good welcome Pokie. lol
Good welcome Pokie. lol
CForest
New Member
My experience is that it doesn't matter, as long as there is plenty of food and water for all to enjoy. My advise would be to use it to your advantage if needed. A good layer of cow manure should cover most human scent right? Heck even montana decoy makes one that looks like a cow.
I agree with many of you. What matters is the feed. If there is good feed there, then the elk can be right in the cattle grazing with them. However, I have seen BLM land picked clean by cattle come September. That's one area you will not find many elk. I've seen fenced off BLM areas with one side of the fenced completely grazed to the bone and the other side with feed 3 ft high. Don't worry about the cows. Worry about the feed and the sign. Find good feeding areas and look for sign and you'll start finding elk.
Also in dry areas like where I hunt beef cows and elk will share the same watering holes. Sometimes a trail camera will get 50 photos of beef for 1 elk. It makes it hard to find tracks but often if you go a little ways from the watering hole elk tracks will not be trampled out.
Also in dry areas like where I hunt beef cows and elk will share the same watering holes. Sometimes a trail camera will get 50 photos of beef for 1 elk. It makes it hard to find tracks but often if you go a little ways from the watering hole elk tracks will not be trampled out.