Montana 319 smoke question.

[Okie84]

Hi, has anyone been in the western half of 319 recently? I’ll be there this Sunday and am wondering about the smoke density from the fires. I spoke with a gal in Wise River who said she couldn’t see across the road due to the smoke. I’ll be in the Anaconda Pintler wilderness and am starting to wonder if I should plan on hunting another area of the smoke is bad. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[Werty]

Unless we get some serious rain or snow, Montana is going to be smokey for a while.

 

[406life]

I'm there. Smoke is bad. If you aren't used to it you will definitely feel it in the lungs and eyes. If you are used to it, you'll still feel it in your lungs and eyes. There was another fire that popped up on the east side of the Big Hole this past week, IDK its current status. The rain we got a couple of weeks ago cleared things out, but it is back to smokey and hazy. There isn't any relief in sight for archery season. Also, bulls have been very quiet.

 

[Okie84]

I'm there. Smoke is bad. If you aren't used to it you will definitely feel it in the lungs and eyes. If you are used to it, you'll still feel it in your lungs and eyes. There was another fire that popped up on the east side of the Big Hole this past week, IDK its current status. The rain we got a couple of weeks ago cleared things out, but it is back to smokey and hazy. There isn't any relief in sight for archery season. Also, bulls have been very quiet.

I do appreciate your time. That’s what I was worried about. I don’t glass much in that part of the unit, but I’m more concerned about a wasted hunt. I had planned on being in there for 9+ days. Do you happen to know if it’s any better up in the higher basins once you gain in elevation? Would you consider the air quality to be bad enough to consider going elsewhere for a backpack hunter? Thanks again for your time.

 

[Young Blood]

We drove home yesterday from Boise and between Dillon and Butte we hit a wall of smoke like I haven't seen in quite some time. It was between Melrose and the rest stop that is about 20 miles south of Butte. It was a pretty narrow band of terribly bad smoke, but I sure wouldn't have wanted to be hunting in it. It was coming out of the Big Hole. I suspect it was from the new fire 406Life mentioned.

 

[Okie84]

Th

We drove home yesterday from Boise and between Dillon and Butte we hit a wall of smoke like I haven't seen in quite some time. It was between Melrose and the rest stop that is about 20 miles south of Butte. It was a pretty narrow band of terribly bad smoke, but I sure wouldn't have wanted to be hunting in it. It was coming out of the Big Hole. I suspect it was from the new fire 406Life mentio

We drove home yesterday from Boise and between Dillon and Butte we hit a wall of smoke like I haven't seen in quite some time. It was between Melrose and the rest stop that is about 20 miles south of Butte. It was a pretty narrow band of terribly bad smoke, but I sure wouldn't have wanted to be hunting in it. It was coming out of the Big Hole. I suspect it was from the new fire 406Life mentioned.

Thanks for the update.

 

[rustneversleeps]

Smoke was so bad I didn't hunt Sun/Mon - not fun trying to glass or putting in miles when you can taste the smoke

 

[Okie84]

Smoke was so bad I didn't hunt Sun/Mon - not fun trying to glass or putting in miles when you can taste the smoke

Thanks for your feedback

 

[Geewhiz]

It’s thick in that area. I haven’t been able to smell anything since December thanks to covid. Today I smelt that smoke it was so thick.

 

[Pgohil]

Is there any website that shows smoke levels in different parts of the state? Kind of like a weather forecast but for smoke?

 

[160andup]

Is there any website that shows smoke levels in different parts of the state? Kind of like a weather forecast but for smoke?

You can look at the weather for a given town and see what the air quality index is. Pretty good indicator of smoke levels at a given time. However, it does not forecast it for the future to my knowledge.

 

[Dust Rider]

Yesterday I could not see the mountain 3 miles from my house. Today the wind shifted a bit and could see the mountain. I also didn’t bother this weekend due to the thick smoke and high heat. Tomorrow it’s gonna break records in the 90‘s for high temps. Hot And Smokey is the forecast.

 

[Erict]

Is there any website that shows smoke levels in different parts of the state? Kind of like a weather forecast but for smoke?

Montana air quality reports at: https://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/

Montana wildfires and fire restrictions at: https://www.mtfireinfo.org/

 

[Okie84]

It’s thick in that area. I haven’t been able to smell anything since December thanks to covid. Today I smelt that smoke it was so thick

Thanks for the info. Hopefully other smells will follow lol

 

[Okie84]

Yesterday I could not see the mountain 3 miles from my house. Today the wind shifted a bit and could see the mountain. I also didn’t bother this weekend due to the thick smoke and high heat. Tomorrow it’s gonna break records in the 90‘s for high temps. Hot And Smokey is the forecast.

Thanks for taking the time to share

 

[Okie84]

Has anybody been in or near the Lee Metcalf 311/360/362 areas lately? I’m wondering if the smoke condition is any lighter there. The air quality in Ennis isn’t good, but it’s better than Wise River from what I can tell. Thanks again for your time.

 

[crazyhawksfan]

Hunted the 319 area over the weekend. Smoke was super thick. Fires across the valley and also down to the south. Glassing was not even remotely an option.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Okie84]

Hunted the 319 area over the weekend. Smoke was super thick. Fires across the valley and also down to the south. Glassing was not even remotely an option.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Thanks for the update. I appreciate it. Without getting into too much detail were you up high near the northern boundary of 319? I was hopeful the smoke might not be blowing towards that part of the unit…

 

[Legend]

Try this website

AirNow Fire and Smoke Map

This map shows fine particle pollution (PM2.5) from wildfires and other sources. It provides a public resource of information to best prepare and manage wildfire season. Developed in a joint partnership between the EPA and USFS.

fire.airnow.gov

 

[Okie84]

Try this website

AirNow Fire and Smoke Map

This map shows fine particle pollution (PM2.5) from wildfires and other sources. It provides a public resource of information to best prepare and manage wildfire season. Developed in a joint partnership between the EPA and USFS.

fire.airnow.gov

Thank you, sir