Drought= Fire. Are you finding a backup area?

hossblur

hossblur

Long Time Member
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Was scouting a little last week. Newsflash, it's BRUTAL in Utah.

Got me wondering if maybe a backup plan/area might be useful Incase mines in flames

Anyone else got that mindset this year?
 
Head over to A zone in CA. The state issues 65,000 deer tags just for A zone and you can buy up to two of them annually. Best part is you can archery hunt most of July and rifle hunt Aug/Sept. The weather is great with most days above 100 degrees and the small flies that swarm your face are just a lovely part of the experience!!
 
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I’m hoping the Wasatch doesn’t burn this year! If I would’ve drawn with max points I would probably turn my muzzleloader bull tag back in.
 
As long as the area is not closed down to any access. I'll still hunt in a fresh burn. I've seen bucks walking right inside a fresh burn area with trees still burning just a few hundred yards away. If also seen elk bed inside fresh burn areas.
 
I wanted to get the pauns tag with 25 pts but choose not to because of the drought and hopflly you dont have to many fires in your hunt areas,and I will pray for rain for you guys.
 
In the old days we hunted west and east of Manti. Can't do that now as 89 splits the units.

I knew it was dry, but I wouldn't let my 11yr old shoot jackrabbits in the "grass", for fear of fire.

I'm sure some dumbass will either toss a smoke, or go off trail on his RZR and light the place up, and with 20yrs of dead fall beetle kill, it won't stop until Xmas.

I'm guessing the North slope looks the same.

Luckily though, we have tens of thousands of Cali asylum seekers moving in, so it's not like their lawns take water
 
100 degrees the first of June does not bode well for a smokeless Fall, but if you have a tag I think you have to adapt and roll with the punches. I burned 26 elk points and I can only pray for rain and decent horn growth! Hopefully if a fire burns up your unit, you can get some kind of option to roll over the tag for next year?
 
littlebighorn said:
100 degrees the first of June does not bode well for a smokeless Fall, but if you have a tag I think you have to adapt and roll with the punches. I burned 26 elk points and I can only pray for rain and decent horn growth! Hopefully if a fire burns up your unit, you can get some kind of option to roll over the tag for next year?
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That’s a good dream, but not reality. When the whole Nebo unit burned in 2018, do you know what they told those tag holders? “Sorry about your bad luck.”

the only ones who get tag extensions are those who cry to the right people on the WB because their bison got chased back across the river to areas they couldn’t hunt on their OIL tag.
 
Bwht4x4 said:
Head over to A zone in CA. The state issues 65,000 deer tags just for A zone and you can buy up to two of them annually. Best part is you can archery hunt most of July and rifle hunt Aug/Sept. The weather is great with most days above 100 degrees and the small flies that swarm your face are just a lovely part of the experience!!
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Well, 4x4 you must be a native. Because you nailed that one. Don't forget you need to be an expert at picking stickers out of your socks......or just burn them, if your pants aren't long enough. I've had guys come hunt in Cali and see the weather thinking they'll do the 'Africa thing' and hunt in shorts......huge mistake!
 
If It's Burning!

They Don't Care if You Can See a 230"ER in the Smoke/Flames!

They Ain't Gonna Let You Hunt it!

Seen a Few Tough Guys here Last Year Get Escorted off the Mountain!




ridgetops said:
As long as the area is not closed down to any access. I'll still hunt in a fresh burn. I've seen bucks walking right inside a fresh burn area with trees still burning just a few hundred yards away. If also seen elk bed inside fresh burn areas.
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elkassassin said:
If It's Burning!

They Don't Care if You Can See a 230"ER in the Smoke/Flames!

They Ain't Gonna Let You Hunt it!

Seen a Few Tough Guys here Last Year Get Escorted off the Mountain!
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That’s not always true. I’ve personally been in areas on fire that the FS still allowed people to hunt if they chose to do so. They let everyone in the area know the situation, advised against people going into there, but Gave us the choice to continue if we were willing to accept the risks and said we would leave immediately if the fire started getting pushed lower into the canyons than they were anticipating. Just like ridge mentioned, I saw deer feeding yards away from pines on fire. They weren’t bothered by them at all. This was a pretty significant fire. Not just a little 100 acre blaze.
 
Well!

The Fire We Had Last Year Wasn't No Lil PISSCUTTER 100 Acre Fire!

They Were More Concerned about the Welfare of Human Beings than they Were about Some TARD Trying to Fill His South Slope PISSCUTTER Tag!





Delta Bravo said:
That’s not always true. I’ve personally been in areas on fire that the FS still allowed people to hunt if they chose to do so. They let everyone in the area know the situation, advised against people going into there, but Gave us the choice to continue if we were willing to accept the risks and said we would leave immediately if the fire started getting pushed lower into the canyons than they were anticipating. Just like ridge mentioned, I saw deer feeding yards away from pines on fire. They weren’t bothered by them at all. This was a pretty significant fire. Not just a little 100 acre blaze.
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I didn't draw any tags this year, so no worries from me. ????

In 2016, there was a prescribed burn in my LE deer unit. I was concerned, but when we arrived, there were deer and elk right in the areas that had burned just a week earlier. Didn't seem to phase them.
 
Bwht4x4 said:
Head over to A zone in CA. The state issues 65,000 deer tags just for A zone and you can buy up to two of them annually. Best part is you can archery hunt most of July and rifle hunt Aug/Sept. The weather is great with most days above 100 degrees and the small flies that swarm your face are just a lovely part of the experience!!
Click to expand...

Not that bad if you can hunt private, but the hunting public land was... interesting? Scary?
 
There's ALWAYS feed and water and salt where I now hunt. For deer, a neighbor's corn and alfalfa fields, 10 minutes away if I drive. 20 minutes if I walk.

For deer, elk and pronghorn, a former neighbor's ranch about 45 minutes away if I drive. (No, I won't walk that one.)
 
What I Posted is the F'N Truth!

Just Because YOU Don't wanna Believe it,Well that's Your Choice!

I Never Said You Couldn't Find a PISSCUTTER amongst The Smoke & Flames!

You Wanna Break the Laws During a Closure Because there's a Fire in the Area & They are Concerned about your Safety Get the F after it!



ridgetops said:
There's a lot of thing that ole elkass says that's not quite true. Only in his world.
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Bwht4x4 said:
Head over to A zone in CA. The state issues 65,000 deer tags just for A zone and you can buy up to two of them annually. Best part is you can archery hunt most of July and rifle hunt Aug/Sept. The weather is great with most days above 100 degrees and the small flies that swarm your face are just a lovely part of the experience!!
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Agree, and there's nothing left there to burn. If the cats, bears and coyotes haven't eaten them all, the hunting should be great.
 
CFMuley said:
I’m hoping the Wasatch doesn’t burn this year! If I would’ve drawn with max points I would probably turn my muzzleloader bull tag back in.
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A drought is the best thing for bulls in the wasatch and north. Plenty of feed up high in there and the feed will be much more nutrient dense then on a wet year.
 
elkassassin said:
What I Posted is the F'N Truth!

Just Because YOU Don't wanna Believe it,Well that's Your Choice!

I Never Said You Couldn't Find a PISSCUTTER amongst The Smoke & Flames!

You Wanna Break the Laws During a Closure Because there's a Fire in the Area & They are Concerned about your Safety Get the F after it!
Click to expand...
So let’s paint a different picture…

let’s say you drew your long awaited LE elk tag last year. And the state imposed a county wide lock down because of COVID, and you couldn’t travel to your hunt area, legally. DWR isn’t issuing refunds, extensions or tags being turned in with bonus points reinstated because you couldn’t meet their new timeline due to the lock down happening days before your hunt. They just tell you “sorry, there’s nothing we can do”.

given the nature of your previous posts, I’m certain you would do 1 of 2 things, probably both. 1) throw a toddler tantrum of epic proportions on every forum you could possibly sign in to and/or 2) say F it, and go hunting anyway, violating new mandates and breaking the law.

but it would all be for your “safety” of course. Not just to inconvenience you.

Don’t try to tell us you’d stay home and play the cards you were dealt. We all know that wouldn’t be happening.

guess breaking the laws is only ok when it’s convenient or impacts you?
 
notdonhunting said:
What makes drought years better than wet years for nutrients in plants?
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In higher elevations and northern climates with more consistent rainfall the plants get to much bulk (water) in them. A deer or elks belly is only so big so if they fill it with bulky low nutrient food they don’t do as well as the same belly full of high nutrient food. In desert climates the more rain the better as those plants have had stockpiled nutrients just waiting for rain to use them. Where they get more rain the plants will have a higher nutrient content on dry years. That’s why desert areas always produce big stuff on wet years. If it was simply the amount of food the deer, elk and antelope up here in ND that stand out in alfalfa, field peas and soybeans up to their chests all summer would be giant but they never produce like the southwestern desert bucks and bulls can on a wet year. We are in a major drought here in ND this summer and the results will be great for antler growth for our elk, deer and antelope.
 
Here We Go!

Now You Are Gonna Bring COVID in to the Hunting Picture!

GEEZUS!

Your Government Said When the Warm/Hot Weather Hit COVID Would Die Off!

How'd That Go For You?

You've Probably Already Got Your COVID Shots The Government Told You to get!

DO AS I SAY!

SLOWLY!

BUT DAMN SURELY!

KEEP BABBLIN YOUR BULLSSHITT!

I'll Crack another DEW!


Delta Bravo said:
So let’s paint a different picture…

let’s say you drew your long awaited LE elk tag last year. And the state imposed a county wide lock down because of COVID, and you couldn’t travel to your hunt area, legally. DWR isn’t issuing refunds, extensions or tags being turned in with bonus points reinstated because you couldn’t meet their new timeline due to the lock down happening days before your hunt. They just tell you “sorry, there’s nothing we can do”.

given the nature of your previous posts, I’m certain you would do 1 of 2 things, probably both. 1) throw a toddler tantrum of epic proportions on every forum you could possibly sign in to and/or 2) say F it, and go hunting anyway, violating new mandates and breaking the law.

but it would all be for your “safety” of course. Not just to inconvenience you.

Don’t try to tell us you’d stay home and play the cards you were dealt. We all know that wouldn’t be happening.

guess breaking the laws is only ok when it’s convenient or impacts you?
Click to expand...
 
elkassassin said:
Here We Go!

Now You Are Gonna Bring COVID in to the Hunting Picture!

GEEZUS!

Your Government Said When the Warm/Hot Weather Hit COVID Would Die Off!

How'd That Go For You?

You've Probably Already Got Your COVID Shots The Government Told You to get!

DO AS I SAY!

SLOWLY!

BUT DAMN SURELY!

KEEP BABBLIN YOUR BULLSSHITT!

I'll Crack another DEW!
Click to expand...
Way to avoid the answer related to my specific question

doesn’t matter the topic, safety is safety.

And we both know if it was your OIL elk tag in your pocket instead of your general deer tag, you wouldn’t eat it in peace and stay home.

but you can believe your lie. No one else does however
 
yotebuster17 said:
In higher elevations and northern climates with more consistent rainfall the plants get to much bulk (water) in them. A deer or elks belly is only so big so if they fill it with bulky low nutrient food they don’t do as well as the same belly full of high nutrient food. In desert climates the more rain the better as those plants have had stockpiled nutrients just waiting for rain to use them. Where they get more rain the plants will have a higher nutrient content on dry years. That’s why desert areas always produce big stuff on wet years. If it was simply the amount of food the deer, elk and antelope up here in ND that stand out in alfalfa, field peas and soybeans up to their chests all summer would be giant but they never produce like the southwestern desert bucks and bulls can on a wet year. We are in a major drought here in ND this summer and the results will be great for antler growth for our elk, deer and antelope.
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So what does all what you said has to do with the plant nutrition under drought conditions on the Wasatch. I would not consider the Wasatch a rainforest even on the wettest years.
Can you explain why cattlemen weaned calf weight suffers under drought conditions on the higher mountain grazing allotments of Utah.
Sorry but I do not think North Dakota deer and elk genetics is the same as Arizona deer and elk genetics.
 
elkassassin said:
What I Posted is the F'N Truth!

Just Because YOU Don't wanna Believe it,Well that's Your Choice!

I Never Said You Couldn't Find a PISSCUTTER amongst The Smoke & Flames!

You Wanna Break the Laws During a Closure Because there's a Fire in the Area & They are Concerned about your Safety Get the F after it!
Click to expand...
Just razzin ya Elk!
I've never hunted a "keep out" area but I have hunted plenty that have been closed to vehicle travel until further notice. Big difference.
 
We are out of irrigation water this week it looks like, unless the water managers do a stock run later with the very last drop . The alfalfa fields are going to die this year for the first time I can remember.

Since most of the deer around here live off of the irrigated crops and tailwater, it should make things a little more interesting. I adapted, I put a trough out back. ;) Now I need to string the 15 garden hoses together.

As the sun starts to come up I see a giant smoke plume drifting across the sky. Somewhere in AZ or CA must have a big fire.
 
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So?

In Your Eyes You'd Break the Law Depending on Which Tag You Had?


Sounds about Right!

Same Mentality as the Law Breakin Bittches on their Wheelers!

Like I Said!

Keep Babblin your BullShhitt!




Delta Bravo said:
doesn’t matter the topic, safety is safety.

And we both know if it was your OIL elk tag in your pocket instead of your general deer tag, you wouldn’t eat it in peace and stay home.

but you can believe your lie. No one else does however
Click to expand...
 
Hey Ridge!

We Can RAZZ Each other & Still Be Friends!

I'm Perty Damn Sure You're Obeying Laws & Rules That Both of Us May Not always Agree with!

But Like I Tried Telling DB!

Fire Fighters Have Enough to Worry About when there is a Fire Burning without Letting a Bunch More Hunters in to areas that are not Safe!

And Yes I Have seen areas Closed I Didn't Really Agree with being Closed!





ridgetops said:
Just razzin ya Elk!
I've never hunted a "keep out" area but I have hunted plenty that have been closed to vehicle travel until further notice. Big difference.
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Iphone pic of the sun thru the smoke this morning. :oops:
5308370B-E14B-4EBD-AC56-E357795FDB60.jpeg
 
90% of forest fires now days are human caused.
Just for the record, no fire will burn if it doesn't get started in the first place. That's too much to ask I know so we need the government to tell us when we can go in the woods.
 
California's deer hunting was F'd during the rifle opener in the majority of zones because of forest closures statewide. Our federal land managers took the easy route in the name of safety, just ask our soon-to-be-recalled governor--they can impose all kinds of sh*t under the name of safety. If they won't let me into the woods, I can't hunt.
 
Gunnihunter said:
I read tonight the Utah governor has asked for residents to pray for rain. I believe in prayer. You may scoff, but do you have a better idea? I’d like to hear it.
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That's easy. Use the hubris of mankind to curb the effects of climate change... :rolleyes:
 
elkassassin said:
So?

In Your Eyes You'd Break the Law Depending on Which Tag You Had?


Sounds about Right!

Same Mentality as the Law Breakin Bittches on their Wheelers!

Like I Said!

Keep Babblin your BullShhitt!
Click to expand...
We know you would! You just aren’t admitting it (or denying it either)

l
 
So I take it Utah has no sympathy for tags in fire affected areas? CO is honestly pretty good about it, they called my uncle and said he could turn his tag back and get a refund a week before his hunt.
 
notdonhunting said:
So what does all what you said has to do with the plant nutrition under drought conditions on the Wasatch. I would not consider the Wasatch a rainforest even on the wettest years.
Can you explain why cattlemen weaned calf weight suffers under drought conditions on the higher mountain grazing allotments of Utah.
Sorry but I do not think North Dakota deer and elk genetics is the same as Arizona deer and elk genetics.
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The Wasatch isn’t exactly a desert. I’ve hunted elk near there multiple times and the bulls are always better on drought years when everyone is crying that the sky is falling in the desert. Cattle will suffer as they need bulk they need a ton of grass and aren’t trying to grow antlers. An acre of ND grass will blow any acre in Utah out of the water when it comes to growing cattle, but not growing horns. Again it goes back to having nutrient dense forage. Elk only have a certain amount of room in their stomachs and if they fill it full of high protein nutrient dense food they’ll grow bigger antlers. If it’s bulky watered down forage they’ll be in good shape (just like the calves) but they won’t grow antlers as well.
 
yotebuster17 said:
The Wasatch isn’t exactly a desert. I’ve hunted elk near there multiple times and the bulls are always better on drought years when everyone is crying that the sky is falling in the desert. Cattle will suffer as they need bulk they need a ton of grass and aren’t trying to grow antlers. An acre of ND grass will blow any acre in Utah out of the water when it comes to growing cattle, but not growing horns. Again it goes back to having nutrient dense forage. Elk only have a certain amount of room in their stomachs and if they fill it full of high protein nutrient dense food they’ll grow bigger antlers. If it’s bulky watered down forage they’ll be in good shape (just like the calves) but they won’t grow antlers as well.
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I have lived in utah my whole life and hunted utah every year that I have been able to hunt. I have never seen deer or elk antlers better during drought years vs wet years.
Believe what you want to believe, I am not buying!
 
I don’t want to brag, but it rained at my house today. Of course they were tstorms and they lit some fires, but we’ll take what we can get. I’m satisfied with rain for fathers day. ;)
 
The year of the fire storms for sure. CSU deputy climatologist stated last week the western half of the White River basin is the 2nd worse drought since 1922 with this one progressively getting worse. When will it break!?

Picture is the shoreline of Rio Blanco Lake. Taken last week. No vehicle just a dust storm on the shoreline.

IMG_20210610_123732538.jpg
 
Bux n Dux said:
Plane crash got that one going. Might as well finish off the last patch of trees the last fire missed.
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with predicted higher south winds picking up tomorrow. The fire may burn most of western Hickman canyon in the next 48 hours. You are right about most of that mountain has been hit hard by fires the past 14 years.
 

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