Planting for Elk: Browse, Fruit and Living With Elk on Private Land

Written by Luke Ruffner Robinson, owner of Montana Fruit Trees in Missoula, Montana.

Elk are grazers first. They'd rather eat grass, then forbs, and they turn to shrubs and trees when the grass is cured, buried or gone. On a lot of western Montana and Idaho ground that's most of the winter. If you've got elk on your place and want to feed them without losing everything you plant, grow the browse they already use (aspen, serviceberry, chokecherry, willow), put it where elk winter or pass through, fence it tall until it's out of reach, and keep fruit trees inside an 8 ft fence for good. Below that is what elk do to aspen, how to live with elk on private land, and why we don't make a moose bundle. Everything in the elk bundle is hardy to zone 2 or colder.

What elk eat, and where browse fits

Biologists classify elk as "intermediate or mixed feeders." They "prefer grasses, then forbs," and "As curing or loss of herbaceous material occurs, they use deciduous browse first and conifer browse last" (USFS FEIS, elk). A 2007 review of 72 winter diet studies across western North America found grasses dominated, and browse got eaten "in proportion to its availability." In other words, elk eat browse where there's browse to eat.

Where you are matters a lot. Jeff Mosley, Extension Range Management Specialist at Montana State University: "West of the Continental Divide, shrubs are usually the primary winter food for elk, while grasses tend to dominate winter elk diets east of the Divide." His list of shrubs preferred by deer and elk: "aspen, willow, mountain maple, chokecherry, serviceberry, and red osier dogwood" (MSU Extension).

Winter is when it counts. Mosley writes that "Only small differences in the protein content of winter forage can dictate whether elk or deer survive winter or reproduce successfully the following spring." He also warns that deer and elk "won't thrive" if winter diets run more than 15 to 20% juniper or sagebrush. That's why we plant a mix of deciduous browse.

What elk eat through the year

Season Diet Where a planting fits
Early spring "In early spring, elk typically eat plants that begin growth early, usually grasses" (FEIS). Elk move through transition range on the way up. Aspen and willow browse gets hit hard. FEIS reports aspen browsing at 45 to 55% of sprouts in winter and spring.
Summer Grasses and forbs, mostly up high. Not much. Your planting grows.
Fall "grasses remain important in elk diets, forb use decreases, and shrub use generally increases" (FEIS). Trailman applecrab fruit late August into early September, Kerr later. Serviceberry and chokecherry twigs.
Winter "In winter, elk consume mostly grasses or browse depending on availability" (FEIS). In deep snow they move to high canopy cover. Aspen, serviceberry, chokecherry and willow twigs and bark.

The best plants we grow for elk

Plant What it gives elk When Hardy to
Aspen "Elk browse quaking aspen year-round in much of the West, feeding on bark, branch apices, and sprouts." Spreads by root suckers into a clone. Also good moose and ruffed grouse food. Year round, heaviest winter and spring Zone 1
Serviceberry Often "a primary or important component of the winter diet of big game species." In Montana, "Elk would often browse all available twigs before moving to another area." Needs at least 14 in of precipitation. Winter, then spring Zone 2
Chokecherry Browsed by elk, rated fair elk forage and fair elk cover in Montana. Suckers into thickets. Toxic to livestock. Fall and winter Zone 2
Kerr applecrab Fruit that doesn't drop and stands hard frosts on the tree. Elk damage fruit trees, so fence it. Late fall Zone 2
Trailman applecrab Early fruit, late August to early September. Blooms with Kerr, so the two pollenize each other. Early fall Zone 1b
Rocky Mountain juniper Cover more than food. Elk cover rated good in Montana and Wyoming, browse rated poor in Montana. Keep away from apples and serviceberry (rust). Winter cover Zone 2

Plant facts from the USFS Fire Effects Information System (aspen, serviceberry, chokecherry, juniper). Elk damage to fruit trees is documented by Washington Fish and Wildlife. Full-size apples on Dolgo roots usually take 5 to 6 years to bear.

If you've got wet ground, willow shows up on both the MSU and FEIS elk browse lists. Our peach-leaf willow (zone 2) goes along creeks and in wet swales where aspen won't do well.

How to lay it out

Pick the right ground

  • Plant where elk winter or pass through, not where they summer. Mosley: "it would be unwise to enhance winter forage for elk and deer if the land was located high in the mountains where winter snow is deep, because deer and elk in these locations likely migrate to lower elevations during winter." FEIS notes "Transitional ranges are used in spring and fall as elk move between summer and winter ranges." Valley edges and foothills are where browse gets used.
  • Close to cover and water. "Ideal foraging habitat is within 0.1 to 0.25 mile of shelter or hiding cover," and both should be "within 0.5 to 1 mile" of water. Elk "need places to rest and hide from predators, including people" (MSU Extension).
  • Edges. "Elk, like deer, are attracted to the edge habitat between openings and forested areas" (ICWDM). Plant along a timber edge or meadow edge.
  • Balance cover and food. Mosley suggests about 40% cover and 60% foraging ground across the neighborhood. If your neighbor's timber already gives cover, adding forage helps elk more.
  • Aspen ground. Good aspen sites are "well drained, loamy, and high in organic matter," and aspen doesn't tolerate shade or waterlogged soil (FEIS). Willow goes in the wet spots instead.
  • Away from calving pastures and the house. See brucellosis and bears below.

Stand, wind and access

This part is our opinion, not research. If you'll hunt near the planting, set up outside the fence and off the trail elk use to reach it, and plan a way in and out that doesn't cross the planting or the bedding cover above it. In mountain draws, air tends to slide downhill in the cool of the morning and drift uphill as it warms, so think about where your scent goes on an evening sit before you pick the spot.

Spacing

We use University of Minnesota Extension windbreak spacings (UMN) as the starting point.

Plant Spacing Notes
Serviceberry, chokecherry 3 to 6 ft apart in a clump or row UMN shrub spacing. They'll knit together.
Aspen 10 to 15 ft apart UMN small tree spacing. Suckers fill the gaps.
Full-size applecrabs (Kerr, Trailman) About 20 ft apart Top of UMN's 12 to 20 ft for deciduous trees, since full-size roots make a big tree.
Juniper 20 to 25 ft apart, as far from the applecrabs and serviceberry as your ground allows UMN conifer spacing. Cedar-apple rust and its relatives.

How we'd set up the bundle

Our Elk Country Fruit and Browse bundle (3 aspen, 5 serviceberry, 3 chokecherry, Kerr and Trailman) fits inside one fenced block. Put the two applecrabs about 20 ft apart on one end, the aspen in a group on the other end where it can sucker, and the serviceberry and chokecherry as a clump between them. One 8 ft fence protects everything, and you water it all with one drip line. For a sense of scale, a block about 40 by 60 ft holds the whole bundle with room for the aspen to sucker, and that's 200 ft of fence. Hang the gate on the side you'll drive to with the water. Later, when the aspen and shrubs are tall, you can pull the fence in around just the applecrabs and let elk into the browse. The applecrabs stay fenced for good.

Water

Drip irrigation is the only way we recommend watering young trees and shrubs. Run a line with an emitter at each plant and water through the first couple of summers, longer on dry ground. Serviceberry "apparently does not tolerate prolonged drought" (FEIS), and new aspen won't sucker well if it's struggling. I don't buy the idea that infrequent watering makes roots go deeper.

Aspen and elk: the lesson from the parks

Elk can wipe out young aspen. The FEIS aspen review says "In some areas, fire exclusion coupled with heavy ungulate browsing has reduced quaking aspen regeneration," and "Overbrowsing has particularly been noted in northwestern Wyoming, in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks." In both parks, "100 percent of seedlings were browsed." The review's conclusion for places like that: "quaking aspen sprouts probably require protection from browsing" (FEIS).

The fence studies agree. In the Black Hills, Kota and Bartos found "Wildlife fences eliminated nearly all sucker browsing." In another study, "With the removal of a large exclosure, elk eliminated 60% of the aspen previously protected from herbivory." (both summarized by Utah State University Extension). Rumble and others found that leaving all the logging slash "was as effective as fencing for maintaining aspen regeneration" in a clearcut (USU).

Whether wolves help aspen is still an open argument. In Yellowstone, Oregon State forestry professor William Ripple found aspen came back first where elk felt exposed: "We did not document nearly as much recovery in upland areas, at least so far, where elk apparently feel safer." (Oregon State University). A USGS-led study tested that idea across Yellowstone and found elk browsing on aspen was "not diminished in sites where elk are at higher risk of predation," and that aspen "are not currently recovering in Yellowstone, even in the presence of a large wolf population" (Kauffman, Brodie and Jules 2010). Don't count on fear to protect your aspen. Count on a fence.

Fences have to be maintained. USU Extension professor Darren McAvoy pointed out that "trees fall in the woods and sometimes take fences with them, which allows browsing animals inside" (Herald Journal). Walk your fence every spring.

On your place, plant aspen inside a fence, let it sucker and get tall, and only then open it up. Once a clone is up and spreading, elk can browse the edges without killing it. Ruffed grouse use the same aspen, so see our ruffed grouse guide too.

Living with elk on private land

Planting for elk means more elk, and elk can wear out their welcome fast. Ranchers lose hay, fences and pasture. These programs help landowners and keep neighbors on your side.

  • Game damage help. Montana FWP's program covers damage that "occurs when wildlife such as elk, deer, and antelope concentrate on private farms and ranches." "Assistance may include hazing, repellants, temporary or permanent stackyard fencing," along with kill permits and damage hunts. There's a string attached: "Landowners may be eligible for game damage assistance if they allow public hunting during established hunting seasons" (Montana FWP). Call your local warden, biologist or regional office.
  • Block Management. Montana's Block Management Program pays landowners who open land to public hunting: "Landowners are eligible for an enrollment payment of $1,000 and up to $17 per hunter day with an agreement maximum of $50,000," and "Landowners enrolled in Block Management are provided liability protection under state law" (FWP Block Management). FWP also runs Elk Hunting Access Agreements, so check FWP for the current application window (FWP landowner programs).
  • Don't build a refuge by accident. FWP researchers tracked elk in the Missouri River Breaks and Larb Hills and found "elk in both MRB and Larb Hills selected home ranges in areas with no hunter access," with stronger selection during archery season. They warned that even small refuges can concentrate elk and make it hard to kill enough cows to meet herd goals (Thompson, Henry, Proffitt and Gude 2016). Lock the gate on an elk planting and you may end up hosting the whole herd. Some hunting keeps elk moving and keeps the peace.
  • Brucellosis. FWP says "Brucellosis is a disease caused by a group of bacteria that affects cattle, bison and elk in Montana." It's found in some southwest Montana elk, and "Of concern in Montana is the comingling of elk and cattle during the spring migration or calving period," since infected elk shed the bacteria in aborted fetuses and birthing material (Montana FWP). If you or your neighbors run cows, don't plant elk browse next to calving pastures, and talk to FWP first.

Moose: why we don't make a moose bundle

People ask us for one. Moose love the same things elk do, and more. Willow is the staple (NPS Yellowstone). Mountain ash is a favorite: "Moose prefer American mountain-ash; it can comprise up to 57 percent of their summer diet, depending on availability" (FEIS). And for aspen, "Young stands generally provide the best quality moose browse" (FEIS).

The problem is people. Yellowstone warns "Moose, especially cows with calves, are unpredictable and have chased people in the park." Montana FWP says moose "can be defensive and dangerous in surprise close encounters with people or dogs. This is especially true of cow moose with calves" (KPAX, quoting FWP).

So we won't sell anything meant to draw moose close to a house. If moose already use your creek bottom, peach-leaf willow, aspen and mountain ash (zone 3) planted well away from buildings, trails and the kids' play area will feed them. Never feed moose, keep dogs in, and give them a lot of room.

Planting and the first three years

  1. Before you plant: Build the fence. Kill the sod in a 3 ft circle at each plant (chokecherry seedlings "establish satisfactorily if planted free of competition"). Lay the drip line.
  2. Spring: Plant bare-root as soon as the ground thaws. Soak roots, plant at the same depth they grew, firm and water in. Mulch the circles with wood chips.
  3. Year 1: Drip all summer. Weed the circles and keep the grass inside the fence mowed short going into winter. Check the fence after every wind.
  4. Year 2: Same water and weeding. Prune the applecrabs to a good central leader. Aspen may start sending up suckers.
  5. Year 3: Keep watering in dry spells. Walk the fence in spring. Don't open it yet.
  6. After that: The ICWDM notes seedlings "can attain a height sufficient to avoid elk damage within 3 to 5 years," but that's for conifer seedlings. For aspen and the shrubs we'd keep the fence up until the leaders are well above where an elk can reach. The applecrabs stay fenced for good.

Protecting the planting

A deer cage won't stop an elk. Montana State University's orchard guide says "If elk frequent the property, an 8-foot fence with a top rail is recommended" (MSU WARC). For orchards with fewer than 50 trees, the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management says to "protect individual trees with 6-foot (1.8-m) cylinders of welded wire" (ICWDM). Cages only work until the tree grows out of them.

Trunk tubes and short guards don't stop rubbing, and rabbits and voles girdle young trunks under the snow. Inside the big fence, put a 1/4 in. hardware cloth guard at the base of each tree, tall enough to stand at least 18 in. above your usual snow depth where you can. UNL Extension also says "voles are less likely to traverse weed-free zones that are 15 feet wide," and warns they "often thrive under plastic weed barriers," so mow, don't lay fabric (UNL Extension).

Timing it to hunting season

Trailman ripens late August to early September, which lines up with the archery opener and the rut. In 2026 Montana's archery season opened September 5 and the general deer and elk season October 24 (The Western News), and FEIS says the elk rut "may begin as early as mid-August and end as late as mid-November" (FEIS). Dates move every year, so check current regs. Kerr ripens late and doesn't drop, and the fruit stands very late frosts on the tree (University of Saskatchewan). How late it actually hangs up here is something our drop log will tell us.

The applecrabs stay fenced for good, since elk damage fruit trees. Elk get whatever falls or hangs out over the wire, and the browse outside the fence is the real draw. We'd plant the applecrabs near the fence line so branches reach out over it as they grow.

The browse pays off from late fall through spring, mostly after general season. What you get for hunting is elk that learn your place has food and cover on their way to winter range, and a herd in better shape the next fall. Full-size trees usually take 5 to 6 years to bear, and aspen and serviceberry need a few years in the fence before they can take browsing.

The fall they start bearing

Let the fruit hang and drop on its own. Don't pick it and pile it outside the fence. That's what turns habitat into bait in most states. Fruit timing varies by year and by site, and we're starting a drop log, so a trail camera on the fence is the easiest way to see when Trailman and Kerr come off and when elk show up. We'd love to see those notes. Check your state's camera rules first. Montana makes it unlawful for a hunter to use "remote operated camera or video devices capable of transmitting real time information, pictures or videos" to track game (Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation).

Mistakes to avoid

  • Deer cages in elk country. A 5 ft deer cage is too short.
  • Aspen planted in the open. Elk will browse every sucker.
  • Letting the fence go. One downed tree on a fence and elk are in.
  • Planting on high summer range. Put browse where elk winter or pass through.
  • Junipers near the applecrabs or serviceberry (cedar-apple rust).
  • Feeding. Planting is fine. Picking fruit and piling it isn't (see below).
  • Forgetting the neighbors. If elk spend the winter on your browse and your neighbor's haystack, talk to FWP early.

Safety and the law

  • Bears. Elk country is usually bear country, and a lot of it is grizzly country. Serviceberry and chokecherry are bear foods, and FWP says "Bears are attracted to fruit-bearing trees and bushes, gardens, and compost piles." Their advice: "Pick fruit immediately once it is ripe," and "Consider installing an electric fence around fruit trees and gardens" (Montana FWP). Plant the applecrabs well away from your house, barn and chicken coop, and add a couple of hot wires to the elk fence if bears are around.
  • Baiting and feeding laws. Planting is habitat work. Montana's feeding law (MCA 87-6-216) bans supplemental feed attractants for elk and other big game, including purposely feeding them in a way that concentrates animals and could spread disease, but exempts normal agricultural practices and cultivating a lawn or garden. A fenced browse planting isn't what that law is aimed at. If you're unsure, call FWP. South Dakota bans bait stations for big game from August 1 through February 1 and March 15 through May 31, but food from "accepted farming, forest management, wildlife food plantings, orchard management" that nobody placed or gathered doesn't count (ARSD 41:06:04:03). North Dakota passed a law in 2025 that keeps Game and Fish from restricting bait for deer hunting on private land (The Dakotan); for elk there, ask Game and Fish. Wyoming and Idaho define bait as something placed or scattered. Minnesota's deer baiting statute (97B.328) says wildlife food plantings and orchard management aren't bait for deer hunting. Picking fruit and dumping it by your stand can count as baiting anywhere. Rules change, so check current regs before you hunt.
  • Disease and crowding. Feeding pulls animals together. Minnesota DNR says feeding "can concentrate deer and allow for close contact," which is "one of the mechanisms for CWD spread" (MN DNR). We'd treat elk the same way, and it's one more reason to let fruit fall where it grows.
  • Chokecherry and livestock. The foliage "can be poisonous to grazing livestock," especially after frost damage (FEIS). Keep cattle and sheep out.
  • Juniper and rust. Rocky Mountain juniper is an alternate host for cedar-apple rust (FEIS), and the related juniper rusts also hit serviceberry, pear and mountain ash. UMN Extension says not to plant junipers "within a few hundred yards" of apples, hawthorns and their relatives (UMN Extension). Keep juniper away from the applecrabs, hawthorn, serviceberry and mountain ash where you can.
  • Male and female. Aspen and juniper come as seedlings, so we can't tell you their sex.

Ready-made bundle for elk

Check your real winter lows with our cold hardiness calculator.

More planting guides

Sources