Elk Winter Food Habits and Forage Quality Along the Eastern Slopes of Alberta (A Review)

A review of the limited number of studies on elk winter food habits along the Eastern Slopes of Alberta shows that elk prefer grasses and grasslike plants over shrubs.  When available, rough fescue (Festuca scabrella) can contribute up to 86% of the elk winter diet.  In the absence of rough fescue or fescue species (Festuca spp.), elk
prefer sedges (Carex spp.) over tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa), wheat grass (Agropyron spp.) and wild rye (Elymus innovatus).  The nutritional content of elk forage on winter ranges is below maintenance requirements. The selection for grasses and sedges has been related to their digestible energy content which is higher than in
shrubs (65% vs. 48%).  However, the nutritional value for elk of individual grass and sedge species is not known. Hence, the determining factors that shape elk diet preferences among the numerous grass and grasslike plants cannot be assessed.