Reducing Problems Elk adjust to a variety of habitats and conditions including coastal ranges, windy alpine ridges, and dense deciduous forests. In some places, elk can even live around people, although this is not their normal behavior. Finding nutritious food in early spring is vitally important to elk that have survived a mountain winter. In some locations, they can find such forage around the base of large trees that radiate the sun's warmth and melt the nearby snow. If those trees have been cut, though, there is less warmth to melt the snow and thus less early spring forage.
Elk often have to share their habitat with cattle.
To make sure both species obtain enough food, managers use a variety of strategies that fit specific habitats and the needs of other wildlife. In Valle Vidal, a grassland in the Sangre de Cristo Range of New Mexico, cattle are not allowed on the range in early spring while elk eat the first growth of grass. After the elk have moved up to their summer range, cattle are allowed to graze. A similar strategy is used in the Wall Creek Management Area of Montana. There, cattle are moved from pasture to pasture in a pattern that ensures enough forage remains for elk and other wildlife.