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Resource Selection by Elk in an Agro-Forested Landscape of Northwestern Nebraska

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Abstract

In recent years, elk have begun recolonizing areas east of the Rocky Mountains that are largely agro-forested ecosystems composed of privately owned land where management of elk is an increasing concern due to crop and forage depredation and interspecific disease transmission. We used a Geographic Information System, elk use locations (n = 5013), random locations (n = 25,065), discrete-choice models, and information-theoretic methods to test hypotheses about elk resource selection in an agro-forested landscape located in the Pine Ridge region of northwestern Nebraska, USA. Our objectives were to determine landscape characteristics selected by female elk and identify publicly owned land within the Pine Ridge for potential redistribution of elk. We found distance to edge of cover influenced selection of resources by female elk most and that in areas with light hunting pressure, such as ours, this selection was not driven by an avoidance of roads. Female elk selected resources positioned near ponderosa pine cover types during all seasons, exhibited a slight avoidance of roads during spring and fall, selected areas with increased slope during winter and spring, and selected north- and east-facing aspects over flat areas and areas with south-facing slopes during winter months. We used our models to identified a potential elk redistribution area that had a higher proportion of landcover with characteristics selected by elk in our study area than the current herd areas and more landcover that was publicly owned. With appropriate management plans, we believe elk within the Potential Elk Redistribution Area would predominantly occupy publicly owned land, which would help minimize crop and forage damage on privately owned lands.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank M. Cover, D. Crank, and B. Stillings for data collection. We thank landowners in the Pine Ridge that allowed access to their land to conduct research. The Nebraska Gap Analysis Project, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska National Forest, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center provided funding for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, 135 Hardin Hall, 3310 Holdrege Street, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0982, USA

    David M. Baasch

  2. USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA

    Justin W. Fischer & Kurt C. VerCauteren

  3. School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, 415 Hardin Hall, 3310 Holdrege Street, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0982, USA

    Scott E. Hygnstrom

  4. School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, 414 Hardin Hall, 3310 Holdrege Street, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0982, USA

    Andrew J. Tyre

  5. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, 302 Natural Resources Building, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Joshua J. Millspaugh

  6. School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, 306 Hardin Hall, 3310 Holdrege Street, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0982, USA

    James W. Merchant

  7. West Central Research and Extension Center, University of Nebraska, 402 West State Farm Road, North Platte, NE, 69101, USA

    Jerry D. Volesky

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  1. David M. Baasch
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Correspondence to David M. Baasch.

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Baasch, D.M., Fischer, J.W., Hygnstrom, S.E. et al. Resource Selection by Elk in an Agro-Forested Landscape of Northwestern Nebraska. Environmental Management 46, 725–737 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9559-2

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