There are lots of factors that influence where elk, deer, and other animals decide to spend their time. In this week's episode, we dive into research from Colorado led by researcher Storm Crews that tracked movements of over 400 elk from four elk herds in the Rocky Mountain state. The researchers determined if individual elk had resident or migratory movement strategies and from there, looked at how resource selection varied based on season, herd, and movement strategy. No surprise, all elk tend to avoid areas associated with development, but selection for other habitat characteristics differed, especially among elk herds. So it pays to know what your herd is doing, and you can't assume they all act the same.

If you want to see more from the paper, you can find it at ⁠⁠this link⁠⁠.