Abstract
Food habits of elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) were determined by 92 feeding-site examinations and examination of 30 rumen samples. Graminoids were the major forage class eaten in spring and summer. Forbs were the most important forage class in fall and winter, but moderate amounts of graminoids also were eaten. Elk seldom fed on browse throughout the year. Major plants eaten by elk included big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), Louisiana sagewort (Artemisia ludoviciana), and threadleaf sedge (Carex filifolia). J. WILDL. MANAGE. 47(4):916-923 Food habits of elk have been exten- sively studied in the Rocky Mountain re- gion (Kufeld 1973), but few studies have been conducted on the Great Plains. Buechner (1950) conducted a 7-week study of elk food habits in Oklahoma, and Mackie (1970) analyzed elk food habits at the edge of the Great Plains in the Mis- souri Breaks of central Montana. We con- ducted a study of elk food habits in Wind Cave National Park (WCNP), South Da- kota, from July 1976 to August 1977 to determine elk feeding patterns through- out the year and to identify key forage species.
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