"NO Campfires"

[NV_ARCH3R]

Early season hunts are opening, and for all planning on being out here in the west. Please no campfires, and be careful with anything with a flame. I know part of the hunt experience is sitting around a fire at the end of the day and telling lies about the days events. But with the high fuel loads, extremely dry conditions, it only takes a small spark or ember. And once a fire gets started they just can't get it stopped. Better to do without a fire, than ruin not only your hunt, but everyone's in the area, for not only this year but for a few years, not to mention the impact on game for years to come.

 

[belly-deep]

Game usually benefits from fire, but I agree with your warning.

 

[NV_ARCH3R]

Game usually benefits from fire, but I agree with your warning.

Maybe in the long term but not in the short term, especially if it takes out their winter range. I believe the biggest problem has been the insistence if putting out all fires over the past decades. My opinion they should let them burn and just protect structures, etc. The problem with that, the fuels have built up so much fires are more destructive now. Thick heavy fuels, the fires get so hot they kill, the root systems, that a faster moving fire would just clean up surface debris. My opinion. Don't want to start a big thing over it,

 

[Gr8bawana]

In the arid country of NV it seems to take forever to regenerate. The Ruby's area in this pic burned in the early 70's. We started hunting it in the late 70's and the hunting was fantastic. We're still taking some nice bucks from there. I thinks it's because the area still looks like crap and there are no roads to get up the the high country in the background, most hunters just drive on past.
The pinion pine which are starting to regrow are about a foot tall now. We just started seeing them about 4 years ago. I won't see the area regrown in my lifetime.

 

[IDFireLass]

That's the problem right now nvarcher. Fire fighters are having to protect to many structures instead of fighting the fire. To many people living outside of towns. Everyone thinks that the wild lands fire fighters are their personal fire fighters.
I use to think the same way let it burn. But the last 10 or so years the fires are to big and hot. Most of it won't come back in our life time. Especially the sage brush country. Been in and around wild land fire fighting 40 some odd years. The dynamics of the climate and so forth is changing. Whether it's global warming or just more dry times? But something has changed and it isn't for the better.

 

[cbat]

To bad we cant get a good system of controlled burns going when the conditions are right. Take a long time to fix the stupidity of our past fire management.

 

[Colorado kid]

The beetle kill in Colorado is just terrible. In certain parts of our state, over 50% of the forest is now dead pine tree. Just have a drive west of the the Eisenhower on 70 and see for yourself. It's as dry as I have ever seen it west of i25. Devastating fires are inevitable at this point...but please don't be the person that starts one!! I like my home exactly the way it is! Be careful out there!!