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Fire-killed trees a risk to hunters
By Carole Cloudwalker
This document was published online on Monday, September 08, 2008
Hunters will have to use caution when crossing recently opened areas burned by the Gunbarrel Fire.
With no additional acreage burned during last week's cool, wet weather, the almost 105-square-mile fire slowed sufficiently to prompt demobilization of the Type III management team Friday.
The Shoshone Forest then again assumed responsibility for the fire area.
The wildfire - which began with a North Fork lightning strike July 26 - remained listed at about 67,000 acres Friday, Shoshone Forest District Ranger Terry Root said.
That was in part because its growth had slowed and in part because mapping overflights performed nightly at the peak of the fire are no longer being done. The fire still is burning within its perimeters, however, he said.
Root said game animals already are returning to the area burned by the fire, which was charred in a mosaic pattern, leaving some green growth among burned timber.
Most of the burned area lies in the North Absaroka Wilderness Area where there were many beetle-killed or disease-killed trees, forest officials said.
“We're seeing elk in the burn area,” Root says. “There's already been some re-growth, and the elk are finding things they seem to like to eat.”
As long as rainy weather continues, he added, the forest will not be making regular helicopter trips over the burn area, though forest officials have a small helicopter from Fort Washakie available.
Once warm weather returns, which is anticipated this week, flights will take place occasionally “to determine where we've still got heat,” Root said.
Locating the hot spots will allow fire managers to know what areas are safe to re-open to hunters and backcountry users, he added.
As of Friday, the North Absaroka Wilderness was closed from the Sweetwater Creek drainage to Robber's Roost Creek, just west of Rattlesnake Creek, Root said.
He added that snags and trees weakened or charred by the Gunbarrel Fire are susceptible to wind, which he said can bring them crashing down with little warning.
This poses a danger to sheep hunters passing through burned areas en route to sheep habitat, as well as to elk and deer hunters.
Maps of still-closed areas are available at the Game and Fish Department in Cody and at the two Shoshone Forest offices.
“The thing that affects hunters most is the Sunlight/Dead Indian Creek area that's now open north of the divide between the Wapiti and Clarks Fork ranger districts,” Root said.
He said snags pose a “pretty severe danger” to hunters, who are responsible for knowing the boundaries of closed areas.
The elk archery season began Sept. 1 along with the bighorn sheep season. Other elk and deer hunting gets under way in October.
A break in the weather allowed the helicopter to fly crews into remote areas of the perimeter Thursday.
Fire crews have been mopping up hot spots, retrieving equipment and rehabilitating areas disturbed during the fire suppression efforts.
“We are interested in seeing what might pop up next week when the weather warms,” USFS fire management officer Clint Dawson said.
“We are not expecting significant fire activity when the temperature warms up but we'll remain vigilant,” he added.
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justthinkaboutit wrote on Sep 8, 2008 11:30 PM: