5-6 years is quite a while. While some lighter burns will make an area flourish the following spring, there are some burns that are HOT!!! They will scorch everything in its path, and the vegetation takes a very long time to return. Where we hunted last year has a burn area that was like this. It was 5 years ago and there is still no vegetation. The surrounding area didn’t burn as bad, and it’s THICK with 6-8’ tall bushes and makes it hard to see anything at all. In my experience an average burn is the best in the 2-3 year range. The vegetation is plentiful so the animals graze thru it consistently, but it’s not so overgrown as an older burn.
FYI Idaho has some purple wildflowers that can grow about 4 feet tall that animals love to eat. After they flower though, the seeds they throw off will ruin your day VERY fast. It happens toward the end of September and they will be THICK! Similar to a cottonwood tree except imagine walking through the tree. It gets in your hair, eyes, mouth and sticks to sweat. It turned a simple 1.5 mile hike into pure Hell.
. And game loves that crap for the same reasons we all hate it!
