Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
Quote:
Originally Posted by
WWBC
I think that many of these recent fires might have been too hot. It's my understanding that the best fires are the ones that clear out the 'duff' layer and thin out the forest not incinerate everything. Hopefully it's more of a patchy burn leaving some living trees standing. But only time will tell, those fires are going to be burning for some time yet.
Excellent observation!
They may or may not have, we shall see...
Each fire has its own story...
What may happen, may or may not happen, for some time, or....
Take for example the Tatoosh fire...
http://www.pressreader.com/canada/vancouver-sun/20060912/282033322677131
http://www.osoyoostimes.com/tatoosh-fire-complicates-fight-against-tripod-fire/
Burnt everything except the trunk of the trees.
Years later, all blown over, hence impenetrable, unless your 9ft tall and your legs are 8ft! :smile:
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
My hunting partner shot an obese buck at one end of a burn that was still smoking at the other end. Fire had been out on the deer end for about 8 or 9 weeks, and the deer were pigging on the green vines that were sprouting up everywhere. We got black boots, but it was worth it!
And I shot a whitetail buck right on the burnt edge of the 2003 fire in early November of that same year. That fire started in late August.
Doesn't take them long to infill after a fire. As soon as the veggies start, they are there.
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
Quote:
As soon as the veggies start, they are there.
Also points to how faithful deer are to their home terriory. They may get pushed around by traffic and logging and hunting, but generally stay pretty close to where Mom brought them up.
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jal
Pine Beatle kill?
Are the fires in those areas?
yes. at least the ones in my area. alot of that wood has been dead a decade.
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
Whitetails love to stick to their territories, in my experience. Mule Deer and Elk travel and can go a very long ways! Not that Whitetail never do this, they did follow settlers all the way to BC from way back east after all. :) Caribou migrate a good one, for the most part. Moose I am not so sure how to even generalize as I have seen and/or heard of animals that love to roam far and wide as can be as well as those that stay in one (comparably) little area exclusively. This relate to burns in that the Deer, Moose and Elk will start benefiting from the fires immediately with downright awesome Hunting in upcoming years! Probably 5 or so.
Should be great for Grouse and most Upland Bird Species as well... May attract migrating birds in when there's plenty of fresh greens and seeds along their routes.
Any species of Bear will love this, plenty of green and attracts plenty of prey species for the predators (Wolves, 'yotes and the Cats). Great Bear and Predator Hunting, incoming!
Caribou? Oh they LOVE the old growth, the woodland dwellers do. The northern tundra ones, I don't think will be effected by the fires at all and these are the ones mostly Hunted here in BC. Woodland Caribou are very sensitive to habitat loss/destruction as they require contiguous range consisting of old growth Forrest. They eat lichen and there will be little to none... Not good for the recovery of these animals in BC. Though I do hope that I am wrong and that they change and adapt in the future to once again become a big time species of BC!
I am wondering what this will do for the Mountain species like the Sheep species and Goats? Presumably they will be way up high to beat the heat and flames and thus unaffected until it greens up again, when they'll get on the chow like everyone else... Anyone with any intel on how fires may influence what's up with Sheep and/or Mountain Goat?
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
Fire is natural. Ponderosa pine has 6-8 inch thick bark to survive the fires and the pine cones need heat to open. I don't think the fires would be this big if we had prescribed burns or let some of the fires burn themselves out naturally. Put our resources into directing the fire away from homes only and let nature rebuild the way it is supposed to happen. Gonna be great habitat for deer, wolves to follow...
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
Fire can destroy a hunting area as we know it, all the cover changed and some gone all together for years. You might not know the look of your hunting spot, all changed except the ground.
-- Deer will change -- (how and when and where) - they walk (certain trails) now, around and thru gullies to get out of sight --
- The burn is a natural thing in history, nothing new here --
Jel -- burns can change the (appearance of your spot), but learn how the deer adjust to the new look and adjust your approach as well ... (look and see) the evidence on the ground, trails, tracks and animals themselves and where they are going back n forth from bedding, to ponds, feeding and breeding spots. It's routine day to day activity for deer, a habit. The sidewalks of deer.
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
I harvest 90 percent of my game in burns or adjacent them..
when my son was a baby my wife thought I was nuts because we used to park every night at the same rsvine and have a picknick while smoke bellowed past us...
We tagged out from the same parking spot...umm water is good I still feel guilty fish in a barrel.
Now we still hunt that same burn 8 years later and elk have moved in...pretty awesome as long as homes are safe and personell timber value is safe.
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
No one has considered forest canopy for moose and deer ...Moose need forest canopy during the summer and deer need it in the winter...A lot of acres got burned and is still burning..Will create good habitat but there is a downside..Also the blowdown will be ugly...Dennis
Re: Wildfires - Effect on Hunting
Quote:
Originally Posted by
elknut
No one has considered forest canopy for moose and deer ...Moose need forest canopy during the summer and deer need it in the winter...A lot of acres got burned and is still burning..Will create good habitat but there is a downside..Also the blowdown will be ugly...Dennis
Moose and deer are very adaptable. The removal of forest canopy means they move to other area that have it, such as aspen stands and feed on the burned area adjacent.
blowdown is dependant on the intensity of the fire.. if it is a high severity fire and most of the forest is consumed blowdown will not be a problem. If it's a moderate intensity killing all of the trees but not consuming them.. yep could be a concern...
every time i shot shot a moose it seems to run into a nasty patch of blowdown. Not a concern for the moose, 7 foot legs and all but my 34" inch inseams hated it..