. The Canadian field-naturalist. Natural history. The Canadian Field-Naturalist Volume 116, Number 2 April-June 2002. n Elk, Winter Habitat Selection at Three Spatial S^ Cervus elaphus, in West-Central Alberta Paul F. Jones,i and Robert J. Hudson -v - * i^BRARlES Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6Lr Ihi, L'ana5a iPresent address: Alberta Conservation Association, 2nd Floor, YPM Place, 530 - 8th Street S., Lethbridge, Alberta TIJ 2J8 Canada; E-mail: Jones, Paul P., and Robert J. Hudson. 2002. Winter habitat selection at three spat
. The Canadian field-naturalist. Natural history. The Canadian Field-Naturalist Volume 116, Number 2 April-June 2002. n Elk, Winter Habitat Selection at Three Spatial S^ Cervus elaphus, in West-Central Alberta Paul F. Jones,i and Robert J. Hudson -v - * i^BRARlES Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6Lr Ihi, L'ana5a iPresent address: Alberta Conservation Association, 2nd Floor, YPM Place, 530 - 8th Street S., Lethbridge, Alberta TIJ 2J8 Canada; E-mail: Jones, Paul P., and Robert J. Hudson. 2002. Winter habitat selection at three spatial scales by American Elk, Ceniis ela- phus, in west-central Alberta. Canadian Field-Naturalist 116(2): 183-191. Selection by American Elk (Cervus elaphus) at the landscape (2"^^ order), stand (3'^'^ order), and site level (4"^ order) was examined in west-central Alberta from 1 December 1994 to 21 March 1995. At the landscape level, elk home ranges had a lower mean road density, but greater mean unimproved access density. Elk home ranges had smaller mean patch sizes and greater patch density. There was no significant selection on the basis of food and cover composition. At a stand level, elk used the grass/meadow habitat more than expected while all other habitat types were used in proportion to their availabili- ty. At a site scale, we attempted to distinguish habitat use for feeding and bedding. Feeding sites had a lower mean percent canopy closure, percent shrub cover, stem density and tree height, but a higher mean percent grass cover than bedding sites. Feeding sites were significantly closer to unimproved access than were bedding sites. Feeding sites had more grass cover and significantly less canopy closure, percent shrub cover, spruce, pine, and fir in the canopy, and lower tree height and stem density than the control plots. They were located significantly closer to unimproved access and farther from hid- ing cover. Bedding sites had a higher percent grass c
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