elk in cattle country...

[the weasel]

So this new area (not really, was there about 20 years ago) I've eyed and spent last season hunting is a good looking spot and we seen a lot of critters, from turkeys to elk and all the stuff in between, will be my stomping grounds again this year. But there is a lot of cattle in the area and I'm curious how they will effect my outcome. I've heard both sides of it...... "oh the elk won't mind the cows" and "good luck the elk and cows fight for the same food so the elk will booger on out". Is a tree stand not a good idea in cattle country? I know if a lick was set the cattle would destroy it in no time. And store "leftover" produce would probably meet the same fate. So I think staying on my feet would be best. Whats the thoughts on cows and elk in the same neck of the woods. We did see elk and cows in the same areas but never on the same days......

[msd1228]

I would imagine that, like you said, every area is different, but I know in my area that the elk avoid the cattle like the plague. Honest to God, where I hunt you may as well just pack up and go somewhere else if the cattle haven't been taken out of the forestry.

[Ridgernr]

One of the areas we hunt have free range cattle and quite often we have found cattle with elk in the middle of them. They don.t seem to mind them at all.

[ElkNut1]

No doubt certain areas the elk can react differently but for the most part elk & cattle can survive & get along. I prefer not to hunt elk around cattle or sheep but sometimes I just can't help it because they can be very close to one another. I will say it's pretty rare where we hunt but have seen them together on many occasions! I wouldn't be to worried if I were you, if I were hunting an area with cattle & the elk seemed non existent I'd just move on, I don't like hunting near roads & such so generally I can get away from most domestic critters!

ElkNut1

[Kleinpm]

Where I hunt the elk definitely do not mingle with the cows but they also don't seem to go very far. They don't use the same water holes or trails but it is not unusual for me to find elk within 100 yards of cows. The cows where I hunt seem to park themselves in riparian areas where they can do the most damage - the elk are in the timber and blow downs.

Patrick