if you’re headed to Idaho or Montana in September- start your prayers now

[P Carter]

Here in Boise have been unusually hot, unusually dry, and unusually smoky for so early in the year. So far I wouldn't call this a big fire season for southern Idaho. But the conditions are absolutely prime for some big fires in August/September, including in a number of hunting areas. We might get a pass, which I'm hoping for, but the potential for a huge blowup is certainly there.

 

[Travis Hobbs]

I get your point, but I contend that this only true with habitat over 4,500 feet elevation. My anecdotal evidence is fires under this elevation tend to char the landscape and reduce habitat to mostly noxious weeds with little to no benefit for winter range ungulates.

I respectfully disagree. Noxious weeds can be an issue. Yes, that’s true. Cheat grass encroachment is a problem, and there are/can be problems after a fire event. Most problems, however, can be addressed for significantly less money than we waste on suppression efforts.

Old growth vegetation even in low county is not good and a complete waste of habitat and useable land.

Pinyon/Juniper is choking out millions of acres of prime ungulate habitat, drying up
Springs and destroying riparian areas, the most vital habitat we have in desert low environments.

I know places with thousands of acres of PJ, and you’d be lucky to find a blade of grass in it.

Sage is the same….

Fire is natures reset, and almost all landscapes out west are supposed to burn once in awhile.

The problem is…society has literally trained us all, to believe that fire is bad…it’s classic misinformation. This thread is a prime example.

Lately, the Feds are recognizing this and working to mitigate and let fires burn, but political and cultural pressures are huge, a long row to hoe to say the least.

 

[Geewhiz]

The problem is…society has literally trained us all, to believe that fire is bad…it’s classic misinformation. This thread is a prime example.

I don't think we're saying "fires are bad" as an absolute. I think we're saying that fires are "bad" for us on the short term since its hard to hunt elk in an area with 100 ft flames crowning, and people don't like to breathe smoke while hiking. lol

I agree with you though. I say protect people and structures, but other than that, let it burn. Its all part of the natural process.

 

[CorbLand]

I respectfully disagree. Noxious weeds can be an issue. Yes, that’s true. Cheat grass encroachment is a problem, and there are/can be problems after a fire event. Most problems, however, can be addressed for significantly less money than we waste on suppression efforts.

Old growth vegetation even in low county is not good and a complete waste of habitat and useable land.

Pinyon/Juniper is choking out millions of acres of prime ungulate habitat, drying up
Springs and destroying riparian areas, the most vital habitat we have in desert low environments.

I know places with thousands of acres of PJ, and you’d be lucky to find a blade of grass in it.

Sage is the same….

Fire is natures reset, and almost all landscapes out west are supposed to burn once in awhile.

The problem is…society has literally trained us all, to believe that fire is bad…it’s classic misinformation. This thread is a prime example.

Lately, the Feds are recognizing this and working to mitigate and let fires burn, but political and cultural pressures are huge, a long row to hoe to say the least.

Theres a few places around here that I can think of that need to burn and by a few, I mean a lot.

My concern with anything burning this year is how dry it is everywhere and quickly it would burn large portions of land.

Fire is needed though and I have been waiting for this area to light up for years.

 

[Kilboars]

Had a fire last month stop one property over from where I’ll be hunting near Musselshell. Send some rain.

Do you guys think it could help the hunts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Randle]

Several fires up north . praying for rain . Had one close to home last week, we have the fire trailer ready to go.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Pretty smokey here. Crappy pics though lol

 

[Fatcamp]

We are in eastern South Dakota and walking out of work last night was surreal. Very smokey, worse than I have ever seen.

I have a few favorite places I would like to see controlled burned. Couple million acres anyway.

 

[mtwarden]

that's enough burning for one year in my opinion

 

[DanimalW]

that's enough burning for one year in my opinion

 

[DanimalW]

Saw there was some rain a couple days ago in SW Montana. Was it enough to even help at all?

 

[jmav58]

Spoke to a rancher near the Woods Creek fire. He said the firefighters were pulled off from the fire due to lack of resources so it looks like it's going to burn until mother nature puts it out. It's at 12k acres right now and gaining steam. I'll try to keep you guys updated with these fires around WSS, MT.

 

[hunterjmj]

We got a decent rain in Manhattan last night as well as Butte.

 

[ndbwhunter]

I'm not sure what I'll do this year. The only area I've ever hunted in MT is completely closed. That fire was at 9,500 acres yesterday and has grown to over 14,000 as of this morning. Praying for rain! Looks like I won't be coming out in September, but hopefully the area can re-open by rifle season.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

New fire up behind the house last night, heard they evacuated part of town. Made for a nice light show for my evening beer, but overall just a pain in the ass.

My best wishes to all the firefighters and responders during all these crazy fire months, stay safe out there.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

Sounds like there's a ton of rain coming over the next week to Idaho and eastern WA/OR.

 

[IDLassie]

So far Challis are hasn't seen enough rain to wet my t-shirt.
Been smoked in for so long won't know how to look at distance's when/if the sky ever does clear up.
Rain has been spotty to say the least.

 

[WCB]

My sister lives on a ranch along the Smith and the fire right in that area was reported at about 10 acres. Unfortunately due to a local, state, and federal d!ck measuring contest the fire grew out of control. Fire burnt a ranches complete summer and fall pastures and not one of them helped only came and told the neighboring rancher that was trying to put the fire out and build a fire line that they had to leave due to the danger. Rancher rightfully told him to help or pound sand and get off his property.

I don't remember what state but a fire crew from out east told command to shove it and started trying to help ranchers because that fire isn't really being fought the are just standing around watching it.

I know this is a bad year but there needs to be more though and funding put into fighting these fires. Hell the places and choppers can't even get fuel with a couple hundred miles due to shortages....that fire could have been put out at 10 acres.

 

[william schmaltz]

As of this morning's sit report, we are just under 400k acres behind the 10 year average acres burned year-to-date nationally. Media does blow shit out of proportion quite often when it comes to fire season.

That being said, a few areas in the west have had a big fire season so far, but lots of areas are very quiet.

Does that include AK? It's been a very mild fire season in Alaska. We typically average over a million acres burned annually and are currently at just over 200K acres. Most of that million is burned before August rains hit. We are moving into the rain season, if not already in it. Could likely be why it seems like a bad fire year in the L48 although the numbers don't add up. I don't know a thing about it, just a thought.

 

[Mdfowlman2]

I know two are the areas I had planned to hunt are both currently buring