Fire or no fire

[.204smokechaser]

I like having fires whatever time of year it is if there’s no restrictions.

Everyone should put their fire out regardless of what time of year it is. I’ve been on escaped shed hunter fires in March to escaped fires in November from hunter warming fires. Only takes a few minutes to put it out.

 

[TW907]

Fires in all of our high country guided camps for the last 22 years. Animals don’t care about smoke unless it’s burning the forest down

 

[IdahoElk]

By the time we get back to camp it's all we can do to eat dinner and get to bed, so no fire.

 

[sacklunch]

There’s lot of science that says that the smoke actually hides your scent and that game animals aren’t reactive to the smell of smoke at all.

Hard to believe that smart animals, especially those gene pools from wildfire prone areas are not recognizing that smoke as potential danger, consciously or subconsciously moving away.

Not saying your wrong, but I'd like to see the science that says they aren't aware that "where there's smoke there's fire"

No fires for me. Long days, rather sleep right after dinner.

 

[croben]

Most nights no fire, especially since there’s usually still a fire ban for us. If we harvest something and there’s no fire ban, you can bet we’re cooking fresh meat over a fire.

 

[jayhawk]

Usually there’s a fire ban where I hunt. But I always try to go with a fire if I can. There’s something primal about a hunters campfire. More memories made there than in the field in my experience.

 

[trailblazer75]

Hard to believe that smart animals, especially those gene pools from wildfire prone areas are not recognizing that smoke as potential danger, consciously or subconsciously moving away.

Not saying your wrong, but I'd like to see the science that says they aren't aware that "where there's smoke there's fire"

No fires for me. Long days, rather sleep right after dinner.

The carbon that is put off traps human odor. I know I’m not wrong. I think you’re giving these animals far too much critical thinking credit. Fires have been firing FAR longer than people have been peopling. Fire is not a predator. Smoke is not a predator. That is the point.

Clearly animals are going to react to a massive blaze. But they’re not going to be super freaked out about a small fire. Especially the residual smell of smoke, say the next morning after a night fire.

 

[trailblazer75]

Hard to believe that smart animals, especially those gene pools from wildfire prone areas are not recognizing that smoke as potential danger, consciously or subconsciously moving away.

Not saying your wrong, but I'd like to see the science that says they aren't aware that "where there's smoke there's fire"

No fires for me. Long days, rather sleep right after dinner.

Why Deer Hunters Should Take Smoke Baths | Grand View Outdoors

Smoking can be very beneficial to deer hunters — not cigarettes or cigars, but smoke baths. Smoke can cover your scent effectively in certain urban and…

www.grandviewoutdoors.com

Smoke Cover Scent

MTMM: I am from WI and have hunted moose in Ontario. I met a speaker from BC when he was at our marriage encounter this past month. We started talking

www.all-about-moose.com

https://forums.bowhunting.com/threads/smoking-clothes-for-cover-scent.98926/

10 Scent Control Tips to Help You See More Deer

By adopting a routine that reduces or eliminates foreign odors, you will increase the number of deer you see and decrease the distance between you and them.

www.deeranddeerhunting.com

 

[ElkArcher918]

Not very often. Too tired, hungry, and thirsty after a hard day of hustling after elk. Plus been hunting in fireban country the last few years.

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

My 2022 season ended with a blown stalk on a herd of about 40 elk on public land in December. The herd moved off about 400 yards with just a few minutes of shooting light left. We were too wet and cold (temps well below zero) to attempt any long range shooting and we were 3 miles from the truck so we built a bonfire to warm up. That whole herd settled down and we stood around the fire watching them graze in the twilight not 400 yards away.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Usually, no fire. The exception is if there is rain or snow.

 

[String&stick]

If no fire ban we have fires . . . For a couple reasons. Typically we have the old man in camp not humping up and down the mountain so he has a fire built guiding us in when we come back after dark.

When we are spiked out and the old man isn't around we will have one every other night or so. It's nice and helps unwind. We too return after dark, but I typically can't sleep before 11 or 12 anyway so a fire passes some time. Also there have been plenty of times it's been cold or wet and some heat to dry things out has been welcome!

 

[JCOREGON]

When y’all are in the backcountry in September hunting, what’s yall preference fire in the evenings after a long day of hunting, or no fire to try a keep your scent hidden?

Back when there wasn’t a fire restrictions I enjoyed the fire. I don't believe fire scares animals away. Have killed several animals while sitting by a fire to stay warm.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

A little fire doesn’t impact game. If I have the energy, I will always have one.

 

[sacklunch]

Why Deer Hunters Should Take Smoke Baths | Grand View Outdoors

Smoking can be very beneficial to deer hunters — not cigarettes or cigars, but smoke baths. Smoke can cover your scent effectively in certain urban and…

www.grandviewoutdoors.com

Smoke Cover Scent

MTMM: I am from WI and have hunted moose in Ontario. I met a speaker from BC when he was at our marriage encounter this past month. We started talking

www.all-about-moose.com

https://forums.bowhunting.com/threads/smoking-clothes-for-cover-scent.98926/

10 Scent Control Tips to Help You See More Deer

By adopting a routine that reduces or eliminates foreign odors, you will increase the number of deer you see and decrease the distance between you and them.

www.deeranddeerhunting.com

Dude, if quoting opinion pieces from all-about-moose and Grandviewoutdoors is your definition of science, I can't help you.

Not sure why you're mentioning smoke masking human scent, fairly positive I never disputed that fact. But if you don't think animals equate smoke to fire and thus at least the potential for danger, because "i'm giving them too much credit", while in the same breath admitting they equate other scents to potential danger, is that really a logical hypothesis? Anything other than an opinion piece on cigar smoke covering body odor to support?

Enjoy that campfire, I'll go without.

 

[Bubblehide]

If it's cold, the wood stove is going to be lit and burning, so I can sit back and enjoy dinner, then take a babywipes shower (so to speak) and slide into a warm bed while I am still warm, right after damping the stove so it smolders all night.

In the morning, the stove gets stoked, so I can enjoy breakfast in a warm tent before my hike in the dark. Then rinse and repeat.

 

[Tmac]

I’ve personally watched game walking back into burnt areas that were still smoking in hot spots. A couple different groups of mule deer in this case. The entire area smelled of smoke. Draw your own conclusions, but they sure were not concerned about the smoke smell.

As to why, no idea. Old home range? Going to water? Some quick sprouting food source after a fire that fast seems unlikely, but I don’t know.

 

[Tradchef]

I only do it if I need it or if I have something on the ground and want to eat. But 99% of the time I don’t

 

[trailblazer75]

Dude, if quoting opinion pieces from all-about-moose and Grandviewoutdoors is your definition of science, I can't help you.

Not sure why you're mentioning smoke masking human scent, fairly positive I never disputed that fact. But if you don't think animals equate smoke to fire and thus at least the potential for danger, because "i'm giving them too much credit", while in the same breath admitting they equate other scents to potential danger, is that really a logical hypothesis? Anything other than an opinion piece on cigar smoke covering body odor to support?

Enjoy that campfire, I'll go without.

All science starts as an opinion piece, my man. IF I smell like smoke and not people THEN prey animals may be less likely to smell me or be (as) spooked when they do.

Try and try again. See if it works. If it does and it is quantifiable, theory confirmed. And it is quantifiable that animals are less spooked about fire (unless it's the obvious, barn burner) then they are of human predators.

I'm far from saying that fire is the solution to any animal's olfactory sense. I'm saying, it's certainly a nice side effect that you're less detectable through scent. We all know nothing will beat it and that there's a huge market for scent blocking sprays, ozone generators, pucks and cover scents, but human beings have been using fire to cover their odor for literally thousands of years.

I am also definitely not trying to say that cigar smoke is the way to go. Lol. If you don't like having a fire, this conversation is never going to sway you but a quick google search and a little experience will corroborate everything I'm saying. Carbon (a known scent killer-charcoal-activated carbon-) is produced in the burning process. The said carbon traps and kills scent producing enzymes on the clothing and skin.

I posted those articles to simply show that I'm not just making this stuff up. They are by no means iron clad evidence.

 

[Scorpion]

We will usually do a fire in September unless too exhausted from the day. Definitely making fires in later seasons.

We have moved to hot tents/tipis even in early seasons, so it’s not uncommon to skip the campfire and just heat the stove for warmth if chilly and to dry out gear.

I don’t worry about the smell bothering game animals. We killed two bulls outside of Yellowstone where we didn’t see the sun for a week due to all of the smoke from the park. Lots of smoke scent in the air the entire time, as well.

I’m personally more concerned with making sure camp isn’t too close to hunting areas and having the associated noise humans inadvertently make scare them.