elk/deer beds

[fishuntr2]

How long can an animal remain bedded? Do elk chew cud like cattle? Most all of my deer and elk always seem to have full stomachs when gutted. I have jumped bedded animals and found the bed to be bone dry even though it had been raining for what seemed like days. I'm just wondering how long an animal can remain holed up without eating or drinking.
Bob

[winterkill]

I am pretty sure that elk chew cudd. But because they don't graze they move around alot. When it is cold elk will move alot, and their motabolizim rate is very high and they spend lots of energy moving around. Elk will stay in the same general area for several days, but their exact spot in that area changes. Just think of it this way, elk aren't fed hay like cattle, so if they stay in one spot their feed will be gone. In our region elk and deer don't need to drink very much do to the high amounts of water in the plants they eat. Elk seem to like grass in the winter from my experience, but they can't eat just one thing.Elk don't move very much in warm weather because their motabolizim is slowed and they become lethargic.

Deer on the other hand do not have to very much. They are relatively small and don't need as much feed and area as elk. I have heard that given the right conditions deer can live in a blackberry thicket.

As for the beds, that is hard to tell. For me the best way to tell if they are extremely fresh is seeing if they are warm,or if there is hair in it.

[birdhunter]

Mean body temperatures of elk are around 40 degrees C. That's converts to about 104 degrees F. Pretty warm. Doesn't take too long for them to warm up the gound below them or dry it out. Like all ungulates (cows and such), elk chew their cud. Winterkill is right about checking for warmth rather than the bed just being dry. Usually elk bed in some cover and so the bed can stay dry for a while after they've vacated. But if it's warm....well, let's just say I'd keep my finger ready on the safety.

For those so inclined:Everything you wanted to know about elk physiology but were afraid to ask.

[fishuntr2]

Winterkill, thanks for the info and Birdhunter thanx for the link. One can never know to much.
Bob