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~I • highways that are kept free of snow. Snowmobilers <br />consider observing wildlife an important part of <br />their recreation experience. <br />(8) Habitat Loss or Change <br />None. <br />ELK <br />(1) Population History <br />Approximately 2,000 elk occur in the planning unit. <br />The herd has been gradually building for many years <br />but has accelerated growth in the past few seasons. <br />There are probably more elk in the area now than <br />there has ever been. <br />(2) Seasonal Use Areas <br />(a) Elk utilize national resource lands during the <br />fall, winter, and spring, and their distribution <br />is nearly the same as the deer. <br />• (b) See Overlay N2. <br />(c) Food. <br />Deer and elk food habits and forage conditions <br />are discussed in the narrative on deer. The only <br />additional comment necessary is that elk use a <br />greater percentage of grass during the summer, <br />fall and winter, than deer. <br />(d) Water. <br />Water distribution and quality is more than <br />sufficient for elk throughout their habitat. <br />(e) Cover. <br />Elk make more use of the oak brush zone and can <br />tolerate deeper snow than the deer; because of <br />this, cover for elk in the P.U. is more than <br />adequate. <br />(f) Habitat areas that are critical for elk are <br />outlined on overlay irl and are primarily areas <br />• NF-WL-III-7 4/76 RWM <br />