Tired of Colorado Deadfall

[hobbes]

The area I've been hunting in MT has always had some deadfall but the amount on the ground increased exponentially from last year to this year. The worst part is there is still a lot of standing beetle kill trees that will add to it.

 

[njdoxie]

Where I hunt in Southern CO, there are a lot of dead aspen too, I can't camp in my favorite spots due to dead aspen and the only level spots I can find out of direct sun is in the aspens.

Also, I saw a thread here 2 weeks ago citing a study that said that elk avoid deadfall, they had collared some elk and noticed they avoided it...so what gives?

 

[AverageGrunt]

Have to hunt what’s there and guess what deadfall is there regardless of where you go now lol sucks but screw it if it means it keeps ppl from hunting then more for the people that can put up with it. You’ll live

 

[MBAO-millennialbyageonly]

Deadfall>oak brush

 

[evanthomas]

It’s just what you have to go through to get it done in Colorado.

 

[prm]

An area I used to hunt became much, much worse from 2013 to 2017. Typical satellite image

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Elk will avoid vast beetle kill snags if they can. I have found elk trails around huge snags and studies have been done that show elk seem to have relocated in some areas.

 

[cnelk]

There will be many thousands of acres free of beetle kill when these fires are out.

 

[Vandy321]

I have a few days left this season and have had it with this northern Colorado deadfall. Are there any OTC units besides Southern Colorado that don't have it as bad as 17. My ankles will thank you.

Try Idaho.

 

[Jxferg7]

Lol

 

[Sled]

I have found that the higher you go the worse it gets just no way around it really.

The only real remedy is a good fire.

possibly to a point. i've found the alpine to be deadfall free...tree free too for that matter.


and yes, the fires are doing a real number on the deadfall currently but if they are not hot enough they will make their own deadfall a few years after. those are the ones that still allow for good habitat. the really hot ones don't green up the following couple years. almost like salting the earth. it does however make walking through the area much easier.

 

[Laramie]

Wyoming isn't any better. It took me an hour to go 200 yards a couple weeks ago. I was determined to get to a hidden wallow and couldn't find a way around the stuff. Crawling, climbing, balancing...etc. That's elk hunting now

 

[canthitbombz]

And coming out in the dark can be down right dangerous!

 

[Wrench]

Look on the bright side, the typical direction of the fall indicates the prevailing wind direction.

 

[Wrench]

pro tip! Aquaseal UV fixes torn gear in 60 seconds. Cures in sunlight instantly.

 

[Rmac2020]

Sounds prime for a big forest fire. Wish they’d manage the land better.

 

[5MilesBack]

There's a reason why I wear gaiters every day while hunting.......the deadfall snags are just one of the reasons.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

Hey, at least it's not miles of deadfall AND thorns. My hunting clothes are my Sunday holey clothes.

 

[Gerbdog]

pro tip! Aquaseal UV fixes torn gear in 60 seconds. Cures in sunlight instantly.

Good Tip, I've found several sports ware patches that seem to hold up as well. As to the gaiters... i ripped the gaiter material this year too... albeit it was a bit of a bad situation for that pants, it was a grassy area in a low spot with wallows in it and I didn't see the stick, it was kind of a double barbed stick that twisted in the pants as I stepped over it and put two long tears side by side in the gaiter material. Damn.

 

[Sled]

And coming out in the dark can be down right dangerous!

Tell me about it. I left both my headlamps at home one scouting mission this year. I was going into an area I've stayed out of for a reason. 3 miles from the truck and in the elk at 9pm with light waning. I didn't want to move them out of the area just before the hunt so I sat until they pushed off. That was about the time I realized my phone was getting low on battery. Too bad it was also my GPS for the day. I made the choice to go without light very carefully through at least a mile worth of blow down. Thought for sure I'd be getting carried out by some of my SAR buddies by the next morning. Luckily I made it back to a road and walked safely back to the truck. No less than 2 lights with me if I'm headed to the woods. I should have learned that lesson a few years back with a low moon late season pack out. Care to guess how many times I cut myself with the knife that night?

Oh well, live and learn.....and then learn again.