Do cows drive off wildlife?

[Gammaboy]

I farm part of a quarter where 90 acres have never been broke. Hills, ponds, beavers, poplars throughout. Beautiful piece of scenery but not real useful to me outside hunting season.
Cows were pastured there till the 80's and its been idle since.

Sandy, hilly land north of Blackfalds where it "always" rains. If it gets refenced and grazed in the spring-fall will the cows drive the deer and moose away or do they co-exist?
(I'm not a cow guy, just looking to answer landowners questions).

Thanks

[RZR]

Deer and moose will co-exist.

[Sledin]

Cows themselves don’t chase the deer away, I think it’s more that the cows are so intense on the underbrush that the deer don’t have the cover they want for bedding down and the forage is grazed down.
So two factors of what deer want are diminished, add the forage back in the deer will feed there and it could be better, but the deer will be more transient only feeding.


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[CaberTosser]

A place I hunt has cattle as well as lots of horses and the deer and moose don’t seem to particularly wary of their presence.

[Red Bullets]

everyone gets along... not my pics.

[walking buffalo]

Grazing will absolutely effect wildlife on the property.

Sure, deer and moose will likely maintain a presence.
Though I wouldn't count on it. Seen it too many times where cattle have temporarily pushed big game to neighboring properties.

Odds are deer and moose use of this land would be much higher if cattle were not allowed to graze here.

Then there is all the small stuff most people ignore.
Birds, rodents and other small ones. Native plants.

Cows will definitely have an effect on the Wildlife. Depending on the grazing intensity and timing, the effect can be devastating. Yet many will not recognize the apocalypse before them, put up a picture of a cow and deer together and imagine that all is heavenly.


^ This should be enough to give your thread some traction.


Having said that, there can be positives to occasional high intensity grazing.
And Fire, and flood and drought. Nature sometimes needs a kick.

I would reflect on what this property means to you, what you want your role as Steward to be.

[thumper]

"I would reflect on what this property means to you, what you want your role as Steward to be."

x2.
If it's to be a wildlife sanctuary for all wildlife, then cows should not be part of it.

[spoiledsaskhunter]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

Grazing will absolutely effect wildlife on the property.

Sure, deer and moose will likely maintain a presence.
Though I wouldn't count on it. Seen it too many times where cattle have temporarily pushed big game to neighboring properties.

Odds are deer and moose use of this land would be much higher if cattle were not allowed to graze here.

Then there is all the small stuff most people ignore.
Birds, rodents and other small ones. Native plants.

Cows will definitely have an effect on the Wildlife. Depending on the grazing intensity and timing, the effect can be devastating. Yet many will not recognize the apocalypse before them, put up a picture of a cow and deer together and imagine that all is heavenly.


^ This should be enough to give your thread some traction.


Having said that, there can be positives to occasional high intensity grazing.
And Fire, and flood and drought. Nature sometimes needs a kick.

I would reflect on what this property means to you, what you want your role as Steward to be.

....this. if I have the choice I'll hunt where there's been no livestock every time. You'll find wildlife where there's livestock but there'll be more where there's not

[Howard Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

everyone gets along... not my pics.

>>
Neat as heck.

[roper1]

Lots of game right in amongst the cattle whole eastern slopes

[expedition]

Originally Posted by Sledin

Cows themselves don’t chase the deer away, I think it’s more that the cows are so intense on the underbrush that the deer don’t have the cover they want for bedding down and the forage is grazed down.
So two factors of what deer want are diminished, add the forage back in the deer will feed there and it could be better, but the deer will be more transient only feeding.


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X2

[saskbooknut]

As has been stated, it depends on the intensity of cattle pressure on a piece of land and the state of plant succession.

Lack of major grazing species and absence of fire allows a plant succession of increasing bush density, often to the point that it is less attractive land for game birds and deer.

On the other hand, native prairie with small bush clumps is ideal land for Sharptails. With heavy stocking levels of cattle, the bush is demolished and the waterhole becomes a mudhole, making it less attractive for wildlife.

Light grazing pressure can actually improve denser bush as wildlife habitat.

90 acres is quite a small piece of habitat. You should look at that parcel in context of the lands around it.

[landowner]

If you want to see what happens when cattle and wildlife coexist? Come down to Waterton. A protected park next to private cattle ranches . The ungulates move out of the old stale grass of Waterton to the lush second growth of the ranchlands. Deer and Elk prefer to graze behind cattle,much like they did for thousands of years behind the bison.

[coachman]

I have to agree with the comments that grazing improves the use of pasture by wildlife, I have 1 quarter that I grazed heavy for about 4 month a year and it always had elk and deer year round even when the horse were there. Since I cut back on the horses the area does not get used much and I never see the game there. The adjoining quarter with my cows on it is now where I see the elk and deer, and always on the short grass that the cows keep chewed down.
It has to do with the new grass being more nutritious and better energy

[Sledhead71]

Originally Posted by Gammaboy

I farm part of a quarter where 90 acres have never been broke. Hills, ponds, beavers, poplars throughout. Beautiful piece of scenery but not real useful to me outside hunting season.
Cows were pastured there till the 80's and its been idle since.

Sandy, hilly land north of Blackfalds where it "always" rains. If it gets refenced and grazed in the spring-fall will the cows drive the deer and moose away or do they co-exist?
(I'm not a cow guy, just looking to answer landowners questions).

Thanks

Talking from experience here, I have a few parcels in which I primarily utilize for habitat.. Depending on the parcel, I will allow selective grazing on a three year rotation typically, only in the spring to early summer. This removes the excess 'fuel' for fire protection and does these lands well actually.

Species always flourish in the fall and the habitat if managed properly benefits from the controlled grazing.

[KyleSS]

My experience



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[6.5 shooter]

If true there would be no wildlife south of deadmonton...please give your heads a shake...Cattle elk, deer can all overgraze given a chance. if cattle are removed from the pasture before it is over grazed (which is just good practice)..wildlife will thrive. GOOD management is way more important then which species is chewing the grass...