Frank Church and Fire

[desertdog15]

Had planned to head out in a week with the horses into the Frank Church for a deer hunt. Following all the fires in Idaho it shows several fires outside of the unit I’m hunting in and several inside the unit. Has anyone gone in with fires burning in the greater general area? Plan A is now a no go with evac warnings for the area. Plan B is about 15 miles below the fire front from that particular fire.

Curious on anyone’s experiences given the situation, how bad will smoke be, access, etc.

I am a fireman so I’m very aware of fire behavior, tendencies, etc. just curious if anyone had any experiences in that area. I have heard fires in the Frank church can chew up country in a hurry. Leaning towards not going or waiting till later in October to go when things have calmed down.

 

[Legend]

Rain in the forecast should help a lot.

I have been in the backcountry when a fire blew up. It was really hard to tell how far away it was. Made for a really nervous time and hard to sleep.

 

[GreyBeck]

I was there last week in unit 26. Had several thunderstorms and saw smoke in new areas afterwards. I was closest to Farrow and Coxey Hole fires - I think I saw the Coxey fire start. Most are pretty small. The lack of tress and abundance of grass kept them small but did put up a lot of smoke. It’s cooler this week and some rain. Hopefully they’re gone quickly and it’s a non event. The area is big enough that you should be able to stay clear of fire areas.

 

[IDElkmagnet]

Make sure to look at the road and trail closures. Also with limited open access people will be concentrated to the remaining areas.
Last but not least will you be glassing? If so I'd wait

 

[desertdog15]

Make sure to look at the road and trail closures. Also with limited open access people will be concentrated to the remaining areas.
Last but not least will you be glassing? If so I'd wait

I talked to the forest yesterday and plan B area is still open as of now. I guess I’m most concerned with smoke as there are several big fires within the general area. Would hate to drive 10+ hours with 4 horses get there and be socked in. Maybe I’ll wait till early Oct