This is topic July 1st (fire season started) in forum Member forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 01, 2018, 05:05 AM:
Seems like we'll get a flurry of fires in June but as soon as July hits the reason season starts.
3p yesterday the boot dropped. Not sure why never did hear if the RH was in the teens or what. But it started just below me a ol' boy was doing a little burning and then it took off. Then we got 2 interstate fires and one out of Mountain Home. Then turned around and there was a big one going off by Huntington OR. It's 300 plus acres. Then we had another freeway fire but didn't amount to much. Haven't hardly got the guys off of bedrock for 3 weeks now.
It wasn't even hot out yesterday. So the fun begins.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 01, 2018, 08:14 AM:
We're counting on ya!
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 03, 2018, 05:11 AM:
I guess it depends on what end of the work you're doing whether it was a short night or a long one.
2345 fire call in rock throwing distance out the side door.
Just underneath the lookout down on the county road. The crews burned it off and kept it between the main road and the shortcut road. Couple hundred acres this morning. Just glad there was a north wind and not a west one. I'm getting so I hate 4th of July and fireworks.
I'm really tired of much needed habitat being burned up.
Going to be a long day and probably another long night.
Posted by TRnCO (Member # 690) on July 03, 2018, 06:24 AM:
Colorado is burning up from one end of the state to the other right now. I've lost count of active fires, maybe 10 going right now with the largest being 61,000 acres burned and 5% contained and another that has burned 51,000 acres and about 15% contained.
Going to be a Looooonnnnnnngggg summer for fire fighters in this state for sure.
Plenty of beetle kill which needs a good fire. Might be interesting elk season come Sept.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 03, 2018, 06:50 PM:
earth walker, I got your photo but for some reason my photo site is not cooperating right now. I'll try tomorrow, maybe they are out of the office today?Weird!
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 03, 2018, 07:43 PM:
Back in college at good ol' Kansas State, my Range Management professor was a guy named Dr. Clenton Owensby. One of the most enjoyable lecturers I had. Anyway, he related to us a time when the Forest Service called him to Colorado as an expert on prescribed burns and had him take a look at their data on Rocky Mountain National Park. Seems they were in a negative biomass production situation, meaning that trees and plants were dying faster than new ones were coming up. Dr. Owensby immediately determined that the litter layer in the study area was far too deep to support new trees coming up so he said, "Burn it." After a few days of clearing people out of the area, they literally napalmed the RMNP and he watched the smoke from his hotel room window in Denver. Said that no one knew it was deliberately set because of the protests that would happen. They did what they had to do.
Fast forward to about twelve years ago. The family and I spent a week in Winter Park in the summer. Dead trees from beetle damage everywhere. Pretty critical problem for them. Told the wife they needed to burn it or it would burn itself and do far more damage.
Every time I see or hear of a fire in the national parks, I think of Owensby and RMNP and wonder to myself if the fire is actually an accident, or just management.
(He always singled out wildlife management majors. Most of his classes were ag people. He had a new name for us every day it seemed. Rabbit Rangers. Trout Troopers. Mallard Marshals.)
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 04, 2018, 05:12 AM:
C-dog,
The amount of studies on fire and timber is unreal. And everyone studies it.
But no one studies or in wild land fire understands the the sagebrush steps and how fire really destroys it and it never comes back. If it does come back it's only a fraction of what it was and it takes forever. Have to areas I know for a fact that had fire in it in the 60's one area is more flat with a east and south aspect. Really no sagebrush as come back in that area. The other area in on a mountain/hill with mainly a northern aspect. Burnt in the 60's. It has come back some what with sagebrush and bitter brush.
None of these fire crews that come in from out of state even give it a second thought and they can only think of burn! On my mountain the last big burn was in 2006(if I remember right) it burnt 100 year old sagebrush totally destroyed the habitat on this mountain it won't come back in my life time at all. The amount of animals now is almost none existent. Sure there is a animal or two but nothing like there was before this. Sagebrush is a very important part of the ecosystem but most people don't see it that way. We are a sea of cheatgrass and medusa head grass which I hate with a passion that the BLM planted up here. It's fire prone and will bite you in the butte with fire in it. It doesn't go out easy.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 04, 2018, 06:53 AM:
There is an area north of Winnemucca that the sage burned 15/20 years ago. Not the same, since.
One of my favorite mule deer areas in northern Colorado, up by Dinosaur, near the Little Snake is old growth sagebrush that is 6-10 foot tall, but you wouldn't guess it. Deer love it, do not overlook it!
Seems to me that sage makes one of the best campfires there is. Doesn't take a lot and burns nicely.
Good hunting.
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 05, 2018, 05:01 AM:
Yesterday was a busy afternoon.
3 or 4 fires started.
Know 2 were man caused and 1 was started by a arcing water pump. It went to 750 acres.
Since I'm not up I can't keep up with them.
Other half had one but it was only 10 acres or so.
First real hot day of the year.
97* yeah I know everyone else has been sweltering and we've had a NW flow bring in some real nice cool air. The flow switched yesterday to a SW flow and it brought heat and Calif smoke. Now the fun begins. Looking for smokes by braille
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 05, 2018, 06:29 AM:
I've been hearing a lot about the high temperatures everywhere but we have been lucky, here. Every day the past week, it has hovered in the mid to high eighties and today the forecast is 96*, the first really hot day in quite a while. Just lucky, so far, I'm sure we will see it warm up, expect a hot summer. Bring it on.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on July 05, 2018, 11:29 AM:
Very dry here the forests are closed rain expected Saturday!damn we are dry!
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 06, 2018, 03:08 PM:
Another man caused wiping out some great habitat. It's 22,000 acres and rolling. Located just north of Paradise valley in Marten creek running to Greeley crossing. Since there is no roads in the area they'll back off and burn out from the Greeley crossing road.
Posted by NVWalt (Member # 375) on July 07, 2018, 02:19 AM:
I am really sorry to hear about Greeley and That part of the country. My late wife and I have spent many ,many years up in that country.We liked it because you could go up there and never see anyone for the week or so we would spend up there hunting and rock gathering. Coyote hunting was always fantastic and there were lots of rattlesnakes up there along with lots of sage grouse,speed goats and deer. So sorry to hear that.
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 07, 2018, 04:39 AM:
Me to. Came down to that country one spring to trap beaver for the irrigation company I think or it was the game and fish. Been trapping coyotes across the North half along the pipe line.
But it's no longer quiet or a forgotten area. See to many people driving around out there now.
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on July 07, 2018, 05:43 AM:
Thunder and lightning very very frightening Galileo Figuero !no real rain on us just all around !
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 07, 2018, 09:06 AM:
Martin fire is 98,000 plus acres now. Getting the smoke clear in to Challis now. Plus all the other fires.
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 07, 2018, 05:40 PM:
Just checked and the Martin fire is 164k plus and growing. Other half said our district sent own a water tender to the fire.
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on July 08, 2018, 12:54 AM:
What a mess best wishes for a decent outcome!
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 08, 2018, 05:37 AM:
The suspicion is, when it's hot and dry, it brings out the fire bugs. Like that Fire Marshal a few years back that was so good at locating the source of the fires....because the asshole was starting them! I think they blamed about 50 separate forest fires on that JERK? I hope he's still in jail?
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on July 08, 2018, 06:07 AM:
Yeah makes ya wonder don't it ? I don't seem to remember all the fires like we've had the last 10-15 years.
It doesn't seem like anyone is in a big rush to put them out either ?
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 08, 2018, 10:55 AM:
Because we've never had this many people in the valley and everyone has a atv or UTV and they all have a fricking beer can in their hand and doing stupid stuff!
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on July 08, 2018, 11:25 AM:
Its against the law to drink a beer and operate an a.t.v. that's why I park under a tree refresh and then procced. lol Not sure a human can drink enough beer to actually get drunk you would pop first !
Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on July 08, 2018, 11:27 AM:
Yeah that's true, remember going out to the Owyhee's & probably not seeing anyone. Maybe a rancher ?
If, I get serious about coyote hunting again. I'll use my contacts to hunt private land. Never thought, I would say that.
I do still have to wonder if they don't just want some of this land to burn though. In the GVT'S mind it might be considered cleansing of sorts ?
Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on July 08, 2018, 11:29 AM:
Yeah me too Paul !!
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 08, 2018, 01:11 PM:
New fire start just on the West side of the road from the other fire that was started last Monday night. A utv was seen haulng ass out of there going North away from everyone coming to the new fire.
New fire off Hwy 55 by Shadow valley golf course.
Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on July 08, 2018, 01:50 PM:
Fire is serious shit. Folk in town don't get it. Not saying folk out of town are any smarter.
There's just more of them.
Hey, just toss your butt out ? lets let off a few leftover fireworks . Yeah that's it..
I think, overall. I just hate people.
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 08, 2018, 03:10 PM:
If you're not in fire period! No one understands it.
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 08, 2018, 04:04 PM:
Martin fire 324,478 acres now! It's a monster and still growing. Type 1 team coming in now.
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 09, 2018, 11:39 AM:
martin fire 400,000 acres as has ran clear to the south fork of the Owyhee.
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on July 10, 2018, 01:26 PM:
the monsoon has arrived after a couple of days of sprinkles it's comin down like a cow pissin on a flat rock ! got a river in my front yard!
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 12, 2018, 05:00 AM:
Martin fire 430,000 acres but now is 65% contained.
Now we sit and wait for the next one and where it will hit.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 12, 2018, 11:11 AM:
....and with baited breath, I might add!
(in good humor)
Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 17, 2018, 01:19 PM:
Fire bust on the district yesterday.
All around Duck Valley Indian Res.
East and west of Hwy 51.
Early morning lightning storm came in and clobbered us.
Probably will have a few hold overs.
Sounds like one just popped up and running.
Not easy country to get into and a long ways from anywhere.
Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on July 19, 2018, 10:33 AM:
Smoke is rollin' in here. It's really gathering @ the Snake.
100 degree days & the smoke just adds to the fun !!
Not.
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