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Seasonal Forage Availability And Diet Of Reintroduced Elk In The Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee, Jason Lee Lupardus

Masters Theses

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) reintroduced elk (Cervus elaphus manitobensis) into the Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee over a 3-year period beginning in December 2000. We radio-collared 160 elk and monitored them by aerial telemetry from February 2001 to June 2003. Locations (n = 1450) were used in a geographic information system (GIS) to develop a core herd home range (789-ha sampling area) to assess elk seasonal forage use and availability. We monitored diet and resource availability from November 2003 to October 2004 by vegetation sampling and microhistological analysis of feces. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea; 35.1%) dominated …