Just wondering about your plans and the hunt with all the fires? Are you hunting in a fire area? With the areas closed off like Blacksmiths Fork road I am thinking it put the damper on a ton of Archers this coming weekend . The big question what is the DWR doing? I know Idaho put the smack down on a few units due to fires. I fought a few fires and sad to say it takes its toll on the deer elk moose. Do ya think they should have the hunt in areas heavy hit by fire? Rutnbuck
Fires and the hunts
- Thread starter rutnbuck
- Start date
B
bucklover
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Aug-16-13 AT 08:18AM (MST)[p]Fires are a natural process, that if allowed to happen more often, would be better for both wildlife and people. Smoky the Bear syndrome only causes the build up of so much old wood and undergrowth that the fires then burn way too hot. In short term, fires displace wildlife, but they quickly return. In a year or two, the burn area becomes a wildlife magnet. Elk love to hang out in old burn areas, as do deer. Fires can cause damage and erosion, but if the areas are re-seeded and managed properly, they are beneficial. I know, it doesn't look as pretty, with all the old stumps, etc., but it is about the only thing that allows for a new generation of plants and trees.
L
LongRangeBangin
Guest
I had a fire start in a wilderness area I hunted some time back right before the archery opener. Burned the entire wilderness area like a checkerboard. I was one of the few actually hunting it. IMO the animals were way more active moving all day long. I ended up killing a 5 point bull. I still remember to this day how messy it was field dressing him with all the dusty ash sticking to everything.
( The forest service did not allow us access in the burn until about the last week of the season after the fire and pretty much burned the 35 square miles of the wilderness area.
( The forest service did not allow us access in the burn until about the last week of the season after the fire and pretty much burned the 35 square miles of the wilderness area.
jarheadhunter
New Member
- Messages
- 0
It's a good cover scent.
elkassassin
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 37,049
There's one thing for sure!
The USFS don't have to do their Prescribed Burns anymore!
They call them Controlled Burns now!
Or are they Un-Controlled Burns?
Got enough Wild Fires Burning each year the USFS/Government doesn't need to light any Fires!
Founder just Banned My Signature!
Hang in there!
I'm working on another one!
The USFS don't have to do their Prescribed Burns anymore!
They call them Controlled Burns now!
Or are they Un-Controlled Burns?
Got enough Wild Fires Burning each year the USFS/Government doesn't need to light any Fires!
Founder just Banned My Signature!
Hang in there!
I'm working on another one!
J
jdizzle
Guest
Hunting for elk up on the wasatch there had been a small fire off the backside of strawberry ridge, it was still smoldering last week scouting. On opening morning there was a nice big 3x4 buck and doe walking through it. For whatever its worth...
hilltophunter
Member
- Messages
- 54
I was actually up next to some smoldering pines in one of my spots on the opener last weekend. I've been looking for a huge typical from last year and a nice nontypical that I've found this year. As my luck has it I located the typical buck in the same area he was in last year. He actually walked into a set of pines that was smoldering and filling with smoke and bedded down. My plan was to set up on him until he moved out to feed that evening. I made my way up another little canyon and had to walk through the lower end of some pines that were buring a little and smoldering. I was glassing the canyon I was hiking up to try and locate the bedded bachelor herd with the non typical buck (or at least the area where I had been seeing him). I had a 170ish buck bedded 200 yds below me when I stopped to glass and he was literally 200 yards from a set of pines that were burning a little and smoldering. At about 2pm and probably 95 degrees in temp the pines started burning and trees were igniting like crazy. I was about 150 hards strait to the side of the set of pines. I figured this was my cue to head out. My day of hunting was over because I could have headed above the pines into the burnt area but the smoke would have been bad to hike through. As I headed out the fire was litereally jumping through brush 20ft in seconds. As I glassed the other canyon on my way down the set of pines the huge typical bedded in was blazing like crazy too.
I guess the moral to my story is that the deer don't mind the fires and pretty much just bed down as usually. When it gets to close they just get up and move around it. People on the other had should be a little more careful than myself. You never know when those burn conditions hit perfect, the wind starts to swirl and you could be up sh creek without a paddel.
Oh, and I figured waiting until the fire burned out was a good choice. Heading up this week to try and stick one of those two bucks.
Good luck and just remember, don't mess with fire!!
I guess the moral to my story is that the deer don't mind the fires and pretty much just bed down as usually. When it gets to close they just get up and move around it. People on the other had should be a little more careful than myself. You never know when those burn conditions hit perfect, the wind starts to swirl and you could be up sh creek without a paddel.
Oh, and I figured waiting until the fire burned out was a good choice. Heading up this week to try and stick one of those two bucks.
Good luck and just remember, don't mess with fire!!
