Forest fires and elk .

[Shrek]

I know that in the long run fires clear timber and let grass and forbes grow and elk and deer boom. How long after a fire does take to see the elk hunting in a large fire area get really good ? There has been some large fires that I can think of that are going on the third year since the burn and I'm thinking of future hunts and when to go.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Depends on the fire and what time of the year, but I've seen deer and elk back in an area in less than one year as soon as the new grasses started coming up.

 

[wapitibob]

Depends on the area too. AZ seeded the wallow fire and the monsoons greened it up almost instantly.

 

[Shrek]

I'm not talking about them just using the area but when the elk and deer become concentrated in the area. There's a widow of time a few years long that the area will become an elk magnet.

 

[Matt Cashell]

I have seen elk licking up the ash (for the minerals or something?)

They also eat mushrooms that poke up.

I like burns.

From this season:

 

[Shrek]

To give an example of what I'm thinking about there was the Mustang Complex fire in Idaho along the Salmon River in 2012 that burned 330,000 acres north of the river. Is 2015 going to be a great year in the area ? Is the big payday a couple of years out still ? Are the elk all wolf poo by now ?

 

[slick]

I also shot my bull in a burn, but it's quite old. 8-9 years now

 

[Matt Cashell]

Any time after the burn is pretty good, but the regen starts getting a little bit big after around 15 years, IME.

That first 5 years after the burn is pretty great. Lots of feed and nothing for them to hide behind.

 

[Shrek]

Bitterroot Bulls , you're the one who got me really thinking about this season before last and as I'm looking for places to hunt I'm trying to understand how to incorporate fire areas in my planning. The area I mentioned is just one of several I'm looking at to hunt in Idaho.

 

[justin davis]

Generally green grass will start growing pretty quick after a fire has gone through. The animals will be in there too. I've seen a burn where the ground was still smoking and elk were standing in the black.

 

[elkeaterco]

I work as a wild land firefighter and have seen elk move back into those area in months after the fire if it rains. I hunted one such unit a couple years back. Fought the fire, got paid to scout. Went back 3 months later and there were 1ft tall aspens sprouting up every where and bright green grass. Masses of elk and deer. No moisture, no vegetation, no critters.

 

[Shrek]

So the fires of '12 should all be prime areas this fall. I've got some Googlefoo to practice then.

 

[rayporter]

about 3 years ago there was a fire near where i hunt. 4 weeks after the fire was out the road hunters were slaying them in the burn. most bulls i ever seen hanging in road camps.

 

[El Gavilan]

Depends on the kind of fire, the time of year it burns and the rainfall after the burn. A real hot fire will scortch the ground and actually kill some seeds, but a slow cool fire will just remove the top layer and jump start the seed germination with the proper moisture. New grass sprouts, new aspen sprouts and other shrub sprouts are a magnet for grazing and browsing wildlife and it can last for several years until the plants become decadent and/or the climate hits a drought. Burns are usually very good places to hunt from 1 to 10 years after the fire as a general rule.

Mike

 

[idahoelkhunter]

There are much better places to hunt in Idaho then around Salmon , Specifically the area where the mustang fire was, the wolves have hammered the elk. The local outfitters don't even put in their camps in there any more. The elk that are left are all near private land and people, where the wolves don't like to be. The further you get away from the people the less elk your gonna find in most cases its crazy to even think that. I used to live in Salmon and to see what has happened to the elk is just criminal !

Mark

 

[good2eat]

Depends on the kind of fire, the time of year it burns and the rainfall after the burn. A real hot fire will scortch the ground and actually kill some seeds.

This is important. If you can get into the area to see it you'll be ahead of the game. I live in Central Oregon, we certainly have our share of fires and they are typically pretty hot. I was in an area last season that burned 3 years ago that was so hot the ground is still nothing but gray.

 

[IdahoElk]

By me in Idaho it seemed to take 3-4yrs before the browse the Elk like re vegetated the area and held them.

 

[mtluckydan]

Consider that in areas with wolves it is important that there is a mosaic of live trees and burned trees. If all the trees burned it is less likely to hold elk with wolves. They use the timber for cover to get away from the wolves. Also, as mentioned above some areas burn so hot there is no regeneration to speak of for years. Also, some areas may have so much downed timber it is hard to navigate. I would talk to someone in the Forest Service to get an idea about specific fires and regeneration. The biologists will be able to give you an idea about the elk numbers, but take that with a grain of salt - they still want to sell you an expensive out of state license.

 

[Jason Snyder]

What mtluckydan is saying about the mosaic pattern is very important. I've hunted several burned areas over the years. One I hunted burned in 1988 and it was stilly dynamite in 2008. How hot the burn was makes a huge difference. I've seen burns come along very well in 10 years, whereas others have been nuked for 20 years and have trees that are two feet tall.

If it's a huge expanse of burn with no cover, the elk won't use it nearly as much. You've got to find the pockets of green timber that will give them thermal cover and escape cover.

There is no hard and fast answer to your question. If conditions are right, about 6-8 years post-burn you can see some significant upward trends in elk populations.