Dec. 2021 - 29

brown, the high country is still green. During
the late fall elk and other big game migrate
back to the low country as weather gets harsher
and the snow gets deeper.
" We know some elk walk down to
Meeteetse in the winter and others stay there
year-round, " Class said. " Both strategies have
pros and cons. The resident elk and deer are
typically associated with agricultural land. The
ones that are just here for the winter have the
risks associated with migration. "
Risks of migration include predators,
hunting pressure, a lack of food or shelter if
the weather takes an unexpected turn and heat
stress if it becomes unseasonably warm. One
of the biggest differences between elk and deer
is an elk's lack of fidelity to the same winter
range year after year. Deer typically go back
to the same winter range, whereas elk might
or might not. Elk also will walk out of a cold
spot in the middle of winter.
" I've actually seen elk go higher during
the winter, " Class said. " They'll walk out of
an inversion. If it's 10-below in a valley, but
20 degrees up high, they'll go higher. They're
good at tracking that. "
Impact on reproduction
You may have heard the theory that male
ungulates expend the same amount of energy
to grow antlers as females do to birth and care
for young. However, research shows females
have much higher annual energy needs. While
gestation comes with a huge energy cost,
lactation is an even bigger drain. Females give
birth just after winter, then need to feed their
young while building up their fat reserves for
the next winter. They need plentiful forage and
thermal shelter to grow a viable fetus during
the coldest months, and then nurse their calves
or fawns during the warmest ones. If breeding
females can't rebuild their fat stores, there can
be a lag effect on reproduction.
" If cow elk don't put on enough fat and it's
a severe winter, there's a decline in reproductive
rate, " Class said. " You see it in deer, too. When
times are good there are more twin fawns.
Then there are pronghorn, the ultimate Las
Vegas bettors. They throw twins most of the
time, no matter the conditions. Some years
they win big. Some years they lose big. If
they have access to good nutrition during the
winter, their population grows. If not and the
condition of the females declines the fawns
don't survive. "
Putting on fat in the winter for cow elk is vital to giving birth to healthy calves. (Photo by Jack Ballard)
You may have heard the theory that male ungulates
expend the same amount of energy to grow antlers
as females do to birth and care for young. However,
research shows females have much higher annual
energy needs.
If pronghorn have access to good nutrition during the winter their population grows. (Photo by Tim Christie)
Wyoming Wildlife | 29

Dec. 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dec. 2021

Dec. 2021 - 1
Dec. 2021 - 2
Dec. 2021 - 3
Dec. 2021 - 4
Dec. 2021 - 5
Dec. 2021 - 6
Dec. 2021 - 7
Dec. 2021 - 8
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