Wildfires - Effect on Hunting

[KimberKid]

Firstly I understand that there are many people on this forum who are going to be greatly effected by these wildfires. I sincerely hope everyone is ok and that the damage can be somewhat restored to your homes and personal belongings.

Now, onto my question. My understanding is that these wildfires are all over BC and although some are burning through grassland, I am more interested in the ones that are burning through forests. How does this effect the hunting in these 'fire' clear cuts 1. Immediately 2. 5 Years from now 3. 20 Years from now. Basically, I know animals will be running from these fires however down the line will these new clear cuts be productive to hunt? I remember reading that Native Americans used to 'control burn' clear cuts and then hunt the animals that would feed there. Is it safe to say that these fires will create new, productive hunting areas? Secondly, those who have hunted areas that have been burned through, what is it like? If you had any idea how long ago the fire was where you hunted I would love to know that information too.

Thank you, have a nice day and stay safe.
KK

[swampthing]

There is going to be some good deer hunting!

[rocksteady]

Increase the smoke has cleared and a bit of rain occurrs vegetation will sprout up and Mother Nature will heal the wound

[BCbuckhunter]

Its all going to be new habitat. There is a reason it all went up so quick. We've been putting out fires instead of letting them burn a bit. in populated area they need to be put out but when its away from towns it should burn a bit and git rid of all the undergrowth. Its natures say of thinning the forest. In a couple years there will be some good hunting in these areas.

[Big Lew]

I'm curious why we haven't heard what or who started the Ashcroft fire and some other
large fires. Lightning is responsible for many, but many of the earlier fires were by humans.

[Moose63]

Burns are the gourmet locations of the ungulate population.....

[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.

[Ourea]

Burns will enhance resident/immediate populations.
It also becomes a "magnet" bringing in non res animals.
Seen deer feeding with smoldering ash in the background.

Most of the bigger bucks we kill r a bit, well.......smoky

I've said this numerous times on HBC.....understand habitat....look for that habitat....game becomes easy to find

[Rotorwash]

We flew over my house yesterday. The fire burnt up to the street behind mine. Deer were in my yard eating my garden...

[Steelpulse]

Good discussion. To answer the part about years after burns. There will be immediate signs of life right after all the way to 20 years later. In the first few years lots of small growth dense stuff some good deer upland happening and then getting to a decade later and moose are living in it. Very general but you get the idea it will always be reproducing new life and new habitat for many years to come with every specie benefiting at some point

there are some great reads online when you take a night and deep dive into the inter-web about the outdoors, google everything to do with this subject

[gamehunter6o]

Great news for the Donald as I hear the smoke is headed East and he'll welcome a smokescreen.

[VFX_man]

We flew over my house yesterday. The fire burnt up to the street behind mine. Deer were in my yard eating my garden...

Definitely a good news/bad news moment. Glad to hear your house was fine.

[va7bkl]

I've said this numerous times on HBC.....understand habitat....look for that habitat....game becomes easy to find

I have head this said a few times, but even after the research I have done, I still don't "understand habitat", specifically how to recognize good habitat from bad. How do you learn this? Let me clarify...I can pick out decent habitat for any given ungulate, but once I start walking the area, I can't seem to use my current knowledge to find a honey hole. If I find one, it is purely by accident. And if the animals move out of that honey hole, I can't tell where they might have gone to. I just haven't been able to find much on the subject although I have done a lot of reading. I am aware of the "general" comments you always hear about good habitat for "X". Sometimes I find game where I wouldn't expect it, and don't where I would. I've tried to make connections between different plants, trees, and topography in association to where I have found a lot of game, but nothing stands out...I am still missing something... Time and experience learning an area (and trail cams) is all I've got right now to determine if an area is good or not. I wish knew the key habitat features to look for to narrow down a potential area. Cause when I find a honey hole while scouting (lets say in the fall), then find (a week or two later) the animals are gone when I go back to hunt there, I just don't know how to tell where they might have gone to...and don't tell me lower cause some areas I go to just don't have much of a lower option, and sometimes this happens before their usual transition from summer to winter range anyway, so I know they are still close by, just not sure where to start lol

[Linksman313]

I have head this said a few times, but even after the research I have done, I still don't "understand habitat", specifically how to recognize good habitat from bad. How do you learn this? Let me clarify...I can pick out decent habitat for any given ungulate, but once I start walking the area, I can't seem to use my current knowledge to find a honey hole. If I find one, it is purely by accident. And if the animals move out of that honey hole, I can't tell where they might have gone to. I just haven't been able to find much on the subject although I have done a lot of reading. I am aware of the "general" comments you always hear about good habitat for "X". Sometimes I find game where I wouldn't expect it, and don't where I would. I've tried to make connections between different plants, trees, and topography in association to where I have found a lot of game, but nothing stands out...I am still missing something... Time and experience learning an area (and trail cams) is all I've got right now to determine if an area is good or not. I wish knew the key habitat features to look for to narrow down a potential area. Cause when I find a honey hole while scouting (lets say in the fall), then find (a week or two later) the animals are gone when I go back to hunt there, I just don't know how to tell where they might have gone to...and don't tell me lower cause some areas I go to just don't have much of a lower option, and sometimes this happens before their usual transition from summer to winter range anyway, so I know they are still close by, just not sure where to start lol

What region and near what township are you located VA7BKL? Would love to help with a little more info, how many cams are you currently running, do you currently put down salt or any other attractants near your cams? what time of the day do you do most of your scouting (morn/midday/evening)?, can you identify current feeding and sleeping locations in your hunting area, do you utilize scent control sprays/sticks etc.. when you are scouting? just a few for starters. Pm me if needed

[bloody bellies]

what happens to all the chickens

[rocksteady]

what happens to all the chickens

the adults fly away.

[Sportster]

With all of the nitrogen being put
Back into the soil, in should be a smorgasbord for all the animals come next spring.

[Ourea]

With all of the nitrogen being put
Back into the soil, in should be a smorgasbord for all the animals come next spring.


Absolutely sportster.

Deer can hit burns the minute any green up begins.
It can come earlier than the next spring.
The same summer a burn can have game forging in it if there has been any amount of precip sufficient for some regen.

[kendoo]

I wonder how many deer & sheep died in the fires aroud Cache creek & Ashcroft area looks like fire traveled faster than they could run'

[Jal]

Pine Beatle kill?
Are the fires in those areas?

[Ohwildwon]

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.pressreader.com/canada/vancouver-sun/20060912/282033322677131)http://www.osoyoostimes.com/tatoosh-fire-complicates-fight-against-tripod-fire/
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatoosh_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:

[Fisher-Dude]

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.

[boxhitch]

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.

[Rotorwash]

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.

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

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?

[Kill-da-wabbit]

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...

[Jelvis]

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.

[walks with deer]

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.

[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

[rocksteady]

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..