Damn Fires

[BPKHunter]

Buddy waited 20 years to draw a 44 tag and now it's all up in smoke. By the time we get enough rain to stop these things I'm afraid much of 39, 43, 44, and maybe even all the way over to Sun Valley and Garden Valley we be one piece of charcoal.

For all the other reasons we complain about what keeps our herds below what we want, Mother Nature is the real B!TCH....

 

[mickeymouseoutfitters]

Mother nature is only a "B!TCH" when the wind changes to blow my perfectly planned stock. In my eyes, fire is a good thing. Brings new growth, clears thick old brush, fertlizes, etc. Mark my words; after a good September rain, new growth will come in and there will be more deer than before. I've seen it happen before.



________________________________________
I'm not one for telling my grandson how big of turd I had to pinch off from having to eat so much meat. I want to give him the antlers that hang from my wall and tell him the unforgettable experience that came with each and every one.

 

[BPKHunter]

Normally I might agree with the notion that fire is good, but for three things.

It doesn't help my buddy with the tag THIS year.

Many fires today are just too hot to do the kind of "good" that you refer to.

Last and very important in unit 39, is that much of this is wintering ground and it would take YEARS to recover that bitterbrush for which the deer rely on during the tough months, so I fear our holding capacity for these units will go down even farther.

Maybe in 15 years I can look back at this post and see the benefits that are gained.

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

I agree, the pony complex is doing real harm to our mule deer.

Justin

 

[Rizzy]

Access to go scouting sure is getting tough lately. I hope it rains good this Saturday.

 

[AIROHUNTER]

I took a raincheck on a 39 Mountain Goat tag last year and now this!! Although it's not as bad this year (yet) smoke will certainly cut down my visibility. It does look as though the wintering grounds will be in serious trouble. Dang it!!


My favorite hunts are because they were with friends and family not just because "I got one".

 

[twsnow18]

39 is screwed. Between the deer gauntlet and this fire, there will be no deer left if they don't do something in regards to management of that unit. The last straw will be if we have a tough winter this year. If so, there will be nothing but bones and the largest coyote population in the world left.

I wonder if they will setup some hay food plots/stations etc. so they have something to eat this winter. This is unfortunate because the last few seasons have been looking up since that tough winter in 09'

 

[brymoore]

>I wonder if they will setup
>some hay food plots/stations etc.
>so they have something to
>eat this winter.

Mule deer starve to death with full stomachs when you feed them hay in the winter. They don't have the bacteria to absorb the nutrients in the hay.

 

[destroyer350]

Nah, no feeding, F&G don't believe in such nonsense, but there will be some awesome drive by shooting doe hunts this winter.

You have to look at it in the right frame of mind! Opportunity, baby, Opportunity!!

dreamy will be happy!lol!

 

[twsnow18]

>Mule deer starve to death with
>full stomachs when you feed
>them hay in the winter.
> They don't have the
>bacteria to absorb the nutrients
>in the hay.


Good to know. Can elk stomach hay? I wonder if there is anything they can feed the deer then.

 

[brymoore]

Can elk stomach
>hay?

My experience with elk around my house is that they can eat grass, hay, day lillies, broccoli, dogwood, apple trees, raspberries, brussel sprouts (fall favorite), strawberries, punkins ....

I might throw a car tire out in the lawn tonight to see if it'll be there in the morning.

 

[greatbasin]

My elk spot is gone. I always knew it was a special place...like another planet, now it only lives on in my memory.

 

[UGAhunter]

It is an urban legend, largely fueled by lazy, unfunded F&G agencies that deer cannot survive on alfalfa. If you wait until they are in poor shape, sure a load of hay will not save them. But deer winter in hay stacks all over the west, and they do not die. Idaho does feed deer in from time to time, however, Utah refuses to do it.

 

[Idahorn]

The beaver creak fire west of hailey and ketchum got really out of hand tonight and burnt all the way down greenhorn ridge pretty much to hwy 75. million dollar homes burnt up. I was there as im a resident up here and there were 300ft flames when the wind would hit just right. watched about 2 miles of heavy timber burn up in 2 hours. makes you humble and lets you know mother nature will decide

 

[lambeau]

Spoke with a relative this morning who lives in the area. Ketchum and East Fork (residential area east side of Hwy 75) now under mandatory evacuation, and talk of shutting down the highway.
Weather forecast calls for wind gusts to 30 mph, with no precip forecast for the next 10 days. If the fire jumps to the east side of Hwy 75, it has the potential to get really take off.
Combined with the Elk, Pony and McCann complex fires to the west, this does not bode well for this season's unit 39, 43 and 44 tag holders. However, unit 45 could be loaded with animals right out of chutes.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who work and live in the Wood River Valley.

 

[lambeau]

Revision to previous post: pre-evacuation orders - NOT mandatory? (yet) - for Ketchum. Either way, not good.
http://www.mtexpress.com/vu_breaking_story.php?bid=99188
The Beaver Creek Fire has grown from 44K+ acres as of yesterday to 64K+ today. It is now "the #1 firefighting priority in the nation" according to the article. Wow!

 

[Pre64]

Short term - bad. Long term - good.

 

[runamuk]

Couple a pics I took standing on the house I'm roofing at about 4:00pm today.
The house is about 3 miles west of hailey, out Croy creek.
Thats right when it topped over out of Deer creek into Democrat gulch and Croy canyon.
I have my doubts wheather I will be able to get back in there tomorrow.

 

[runamuk]

Smokey dome in unit 44 about a week ago.

 

[HanktheTankSB]

Here's a link to download the KML files and if you already have the GMA KML files from IDFG you can see how much of the zones are affected. Bad news...

I used the first link (Fire Detections(MODIS): Current)
http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/googleearth.php

Another web link:
http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/

 

[huntnphool]

Any updates?

 

[huntfishall1]

This website has updated info for Idaho:

http://www.inciweb.org/state/13/

Just click on the fire you are interested in and it links you to all the info including a map showing the extent.