What is your opinion on hunting close to wildfire? How far animals from wildfire area might run away? How smoke from wildfire affecting hunting? Do animals behavior change if there is smoke from wildfire in the area? Would wildfire affect rutting activities? How far from wildfire would be possible to hunt?
Wildfire and hunting
- Thread starter bghunter
- Start date
JimP
Administrator
Animals don't run away from a wildfire, they walk around it. I have seen both deer and elk back into a burn area while it was still smoldering. Wildfires also don't burn everything in sight. They usually leave patches of trees for one reason or another where the animals will head to. Also within a week or two of a fire the new growth will be coming back up in the burn area and the animals love it. Nice green shouts eat and enjoy. That is unless the fire was hot enough to turn the sand into glass and form a crust over the ground then it will take quite a while longer.
Thank you, Jim. I thought it would take couple weeks after rain and temperature drops to new growth start growing. I am surprised that hunting pressure can push animals from the area but they might be walking around wildfire.
tim
Veteran member
another question you should ask is, can I see anything with all the smoke in the air. Can I breathe and walk with all the smoke in the air.
JimP
Administrator
The biggest question is can you hunt the area that burned.
The Brian Head fire in south western Utah this summer burned quite a large area and from what I have heard most of the access roads are closed to traffic and camping.
The Brian Head fire in south western Utah this summer burned quite a large area and from what I have heard most of the access roads are closed to traffic and camping.
tim
Veteran member
tim
Veteran member
hell of a sunset last night with all the smoke. the sun was actually a shining grey. Long range spotting is out of the question, and we don't have any fires real close. Hour and a half away though, is a different story.
It was nice watching sunset in Oregon in smoky area last weekend but it was hard to spot something across the canyon.
Hilltop
Veteran member
From my experience, 6-18 months after a fire is when the animals really start to fully use the areas again. However, I have seen elk using an area days after a drainage burned. My wife shot a cow 3 seasons ago in a drainage that still had smoldering and a tiny amount of smoke.