Hunting a Wildfire Burn Area

CiK · Nov 17, 2017

For fun, 1 answer only. For learning purposes, why did you pick that answer?

In your opinions, when is the best time to start hunting a wildfire burn area?

A - 3 months to 1 year after
B - 1-3 years after
C - 4-7 years after
D - All of the above

Tony

Steelhead · Nov 17, 2017

B. Very limited experience

CiK · Nov 17, 2017

I have less experience.

I am picking D because I have no clue. In my head, I can make the case against 3 months to 1 year because its too new and they don't find it. I can make the case against 4-7 years because it starts to catch up to the old growth again.

I am just guessing....and learning.

stuckinthecitylife · Nov 17, 2017

My happy hunting grounds burned completely in 2013, with a 1/2 million acre wildfire. That was in August '13, and the game were by no means ready to be hunted that season. The following year (2014) was pretty poor as well. However by 2015 the game had recovered well, and there was a lot of new vegetation growth. Today it's as good or better than it was before the fire, however there's so much less protection and cover that the hunting dynamic has changed a bit. The animals or more likely to flee than give a second chance.

I say 1-3 years is good. But probably better 4-7, time will tell.

375H&H · Nov 17, 2017

The big Ash Creek fire in Montana in 2012 was the same way. It hurt wildlife for a little while, and then everything came back in a big way. Best proof is the world record elk they shot recently in the Custer national forest.

Gr8bawana · Nov 17, 2017

One of the areas we hunt here in NV burned in the 70's and we started hunting there in the early 80's and to this day the area still has lots of deer and chukars to be had there. The Wallow fire in the White Mtns of AZ happened about 5 years ago and we hunted there two years ago and the place is just crawling with elk and turkeys. I'm sure it will keep on producing elk for many years to come.
I have seen game return to burned areas just a few months afterwards as soon as some new growth started emerging.

hank4elk · Nov 18, 2017

I hunted several burns this year in NM.
Oldest was before the big Wallow & Gila fires & the newest was this summers control burn along 10 mi of FS road.

windymtnman · Nov 18, 2017

Here's my sidebar thought.
I drove up a forest road that had a major forest fire move through a full year earlier than my visit on this day. Even after a years time with the seasons changing and all, the stench of that fire was so strong, my wife insisted we leave as it was making her sick and kicking up her asthma sensitivity. The burn smell was super strong. So, while the next years grasses may be prime, if it still stinks that bad to a human, do the Elk avoid it? Would the smell overpower their ability to use their noses for their safety?

Phaseolus · Nov 18, 2017

There is a lot pinyon/juniper near my home, I have always considered it the ‘deadzone’ for hunting since there is almost no forage in it. About 14 years ago about a mile of it burned with high winds and lightning leaving strips of PJ, the BLM got lucky with their grass reseeding efforts (two wet spings and falls in a row for establishment). Now it is the best hunting around. I wish they had let it burn all the way to Delta. It took 4-7 years to establish forage.

Bigjay73 · Nov 18, 2017

windymtnman said:
Here's my sidebar thought.
I drove up a forest road that had a major forest fire move through a full year earlier than my visit on this day. Even after a years time with the seasons changing and all, the stench of that fire was so strong, my wife insisted we leave as it was making her sick and kicking up her asthma sensitivity. The burn smell was super strong. So, while the next years grasses may be prime, if it still stinks that bad to a human, do the Elk avoid it? Would the smell overpower their ability to use their noses for their safety?

Ive seen elk dusting themselves in ashes 2 weeks after a controlled burn. I think they can distinguish different smells, but coulr be wrong.

Lab · Nov 18, 2017

We hunted an area that burned that season. The road opened the same weekend as the season. There were elk, moose, and deer in there and we saw them every day. The next season there were more elk, moose and deer. We had no problems locating game.

opyff · Nov 20, 2017

This question is very subjective, did the fire occur under extremely dry conditions and burn to hot or was it under a management or controlled burn under milder conditions? If it burned under hot to very hot conditions it may take a couple of years for grasses, forbes and aspen to regenerate. If it burned under more mild conditions, didn't burn off the duff layer and left a mosaic pattern burn and there wasn't a ton of suppression activity in the area then the animals probably won't even leave the area and will actually be utilizing the burn immediately. In this situation with good moisture you will even get regrowth within a few weeks. I'd say the main things you'd have to think of post fire is the severity and size of the fire, how much suppression activity was in the area and is there good cover, food and water adjacent to where the burn occurred.

CiK · Dec 3, 2017

opyff said:
I'd say the main things you'd have to think of post fire is the severity and size of the fire, how much suppression activity was in the area and is there good cover, food and water adjacent to where the burn occurred.

How do you go about finding out how severe the fire was? Boots on the ground for a Hoosier isn't an option. Do they grade fire severity somewhere?

I am also wondering if the burn is right, will it hold elk at lower elevations than where they are normally found in September?

I really should just drive out for a long weekend and scout it out. I am already planning on hunting bow in September and rifle in October/November if I am not lucky the first go around.

Brian in Montana · Dec 3, 2017

I haven't hunted burns a whole lot, but the couple I have, this is what I observed:

Welcome Creek Wilderness, the burn was about 4 years old. Lots of grass and small saplings coming up. Quite a few elk in there during mid September. Also, lots of black bears and some deer. The thicker it got over the years, the fewer elk there were. I think that burn is about 12 yrs old now (?) - less grass; blue stem and good grazing grasses are largely taken over by bunches of bear grass. Elk are rare now - seem to have some move in once the snow starts to fly, but not that many. Still some deer and bears, but they were probably there before the burn.

Pioneer Mountains - In an area you have to hike to, well off the beaten track; an area I know well and know it to be full of rutting elk in late September. I was there a year after it burned and it was like the land of Mordor. It was really kind of depressing to see it that way. There were no elk, but there was also no feed - yet. I'm planning to go back next fall, but It's a hard place to hunt w/o a partner. It's a long, difficult, multi-trip pack when you kill something. My good friend and hunting pard moved to Anchorage, so I've pretty much been on my own the last couple years. I anticipate it will be better next fall, but I guess we'll see.

Deleted member 16014 · Dec 3, 2017

Fire can certainly be a habitat use modifier, but it's the very rare case where it would be a driver in any season.

elkhnter · Dec 4, 2017

I hear a lot about hunting burns, but very little about paying attention to the widowmakers. If the wind starts blowing, watch out or get out.

archer wapiti · Dec 4, 2017

elkhnter said:
I hear a lot about hunting burns, but very little about paying attention to the widowmakers. If the wind starts blowing, watch out or get out.

Definitely was a problem for me - couldn't find a safe spot to set a tent in what was once heavy spruce-fir forest.

opyff · Dec 4, 2017

I would just call the local land management agency and ask to speak to someone that may be able to answer your questions, land agencies generally do post fire monitoring, especially on large fires. Call the front desk and ask if there is a local biologist, fire ecologist or better yet someone in fire that hunts and happens to know the area, that can answer your questions about fire and hunting. I get multiple calls every year and have no problem explaining these same questions from hunters back east. There are also other issues post fire that might arise, if it was a very wet spring or winter the melt off might blow out some roads effecting access

CiK said:
How do you go about finding out how severe the fire was? Boots on the ground for a Hoosier isn't an option. Do they grade fire severity somewhere?

I am also wondering if the burn is right, will it hold elk at lower elevations than where they are normally found in September?

I really should just drive out for a long weekend and scout it out. I am already planning on hunting bow in September and rifle in October/November if I am not lucky the first go around.

MW357 · Mar 8, 2018

Never hunt a burn. Never works.

Hunting a Wildfire Burn Area

In your opinions, when is the best time to start hunting a wildfire burn area?

3 months to 1 year after

1-3 years after

4-7 years after

All of the above

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