5BS up in smoke
Contributors to this thread:Arizona
From: Rcherman
10-Jun-16
Was in 5BS last week and the conditions looked great for this time of year. The lightning caused Jack fire was burning southeast of Hutch Mountain but was quite small. The fire has grown to 13,000 acres and is heading south with the planned management area over twice what has burned already. Helping my cousin on a hunt there this year but may be limited in areas to go with last years 20,000 acre Camiilo fire in the northern part of the unit. It may take a few years for this unit to get back to normal. What do you guys think of the forest service management plan of letting natural lightning caused fires go non-suppressed and setting planned management lines to burn out large areas? My cousin wishes that the new game and fish tag insurance plan was instituted a year earlier so that he could save his 8 bonus points.
From: AZBUGLER
10-Jun-16
I'd hunt last years fire area! It doesn't take 3-5 years for a burn to start attracting wildlife. I've had good luck in fresh burns and especially a year or two following. I'm kind of surprised they're letting it go this late in the year, but the area must be wet enough to safely do so.
From: Rcherman
12-Jun-16
I agree bugler, we are going to concentrate on the north end. I also love to hunt burns but usually after the second year. The fire has grown to over 26,000 acres and from the maps it looks like all the forested areas from the 211/82 roads north to Hutch Mountain have burned. I think it is great that they are doing more controlled burns but it sucks to have a tag the same year as the burns. Just seems strange to see them let the burns go in June. Should benefit the units around 5BS this year. Definitely going to be buying the new tag insurance offered by game and fish. If you blow out a shoulder or your unit burns you can forfeit your tag and get your bonus points back.
From: creed
12-Jun-16
I have a 5bs bull tag this year also. My wife and I had a couple of days from work and were loaded and headed that way to drive some roads and do some hiking in the area that has been hit by the fire. She has a rifle 9 early cow tag so we changed direction and spent 3 days in 9. My camp site in 5bs is burned. All of the areas that I hunt are burned. But I am going to make the most of what I have been dealt and still have a great hunt regardless.
BTW, from the size of some of the bulls I saw in 9 I wish I had one of those tags!
From: elktrax
13-Jun-16
Pray for rain my friends....We get a good monsoon there will be good ground vegetation by September...PRAY for rain....
From: Ed
16-Jun-16
Found this map, may be of interest to those of you with a 5BS tag. If the rain comes after the burn the area should green up and be full of elk.
From: Boris
16-Jun-16
My daughter lives in White river, they have a good fire heading north along Rt. 60 to Show low.
From: Maverick940
02-Jul-16
Rcherman:
I'm a big fan of letting natural occurring (nature caused) fires to burn, unless those fires happen to threaten dwellings or neighborhoods. Natural fire is a good thing and especially after decades and decades of fire prevention and/or fire suppression. Elk (especially) respond well to fires, as do mountain sheep.
Maverick
