(c) Jack Ballard
Customs change in various cultures and contexts, but it seems there isn’t a society on the planet that doesn’t associate particular colors with certain events, traits or emotions. For Americans, red and green are the colors of Christmas. But both colors have different associations as well. Green is also the color of St. Patrick’s Day. When dyed onto the fabric of our flag, red represents courage, the color of those who willingly support the country with their own blood.
When traveling to Mongolia a number of years ago, I observed numerous small flags or strips of blue cloth flying from improvised poles or draped upon rock cairns in the countryside. For the hardy people of this rugged and beautiful Asian nation, azure fabric mimics the color of the “eternal blue sky”, a symbol of goodness and hope. During the frontier days, as people settled the Rocky Mountains, yellow was often associated with weakness or cowardice.
For folks contemplating the significance of color schemes in the natural world, the common opposites of black and white might be more appropriately changed to black and green. From forests, to fields, to quivering aspen leaves and spongy moss clinging to the moist contour of a streamside boulder, green is the color of life. Black, by contrast, is the hue of death, as evidenced in the color of the scorched earth, moldering ash and blackened tree trunks that remain in the aftermath of a forest fire.
However destructive the flames of a wildfire that consumes thousands of acres of timber seem, or however bleak the sight of a recently burned drainage appears, the relationship between black and green in nature’s color scheme is more complex than polar opposites. Some of the most verdant greens of the mountains are displayed in the new grass and other leafy plants that spring from the soot when rains dampen the earth after a forest fire. Fires not only open the forest floor to the sunlight needed for the growth of grass, they also rejuvenate all manner of deciduous shrubs and trees. Aspens, one of the most iconic trees of the Rockies, greatly benefit from fires. From the singed root systems of old, decadent stands of this cherished poplar spring new, vibrant shoots that quickly replace their ailing predecessors.
While the renewal of aspen groves and other plant communities benefit a wide array of wildlife species, the living green that emerges from the deathly black after a forest fire is especially beneficial to two of the West’s most valued big-game species: mule deer and elk. Both of these hoofed ungulates are ready consumers of the succulent plants that typically spring up on burns in the first few years after a fire. Along with the ground-hugging foliage that provides summer forage for these species, deer and elk both rely heavily upon the twiggy fodder of woody plants such as aspens and chokecherries during the winter months. In some areas, burns also provide a nutritional boost for mountain-dwelling whitetails. Burned areas in the early and middle stages of regeneration are often magnets for herbivores who feed on their bounty.
For big-game hunters, understanding the fire cycle, knowing how to effectively hunt rejuvenated burns and staying abreast of fire activity in their hunting areas are excellent ways to enhance their success when pursuing elk and mule deer. Over the past decade, persistent drought, insect infestations and record-high summer temperatures have increased fire activity throughout the Rocky Mountains. In the aftermath of these fires, though, I’ve enjoyed some memorable hunts for deer and elk on the burns. By following a few simple steps of preparation, you can, too.
To utilize an area once seared by a forest fire, it’s first necessary to pinpoint such locations. From burns comprising just a few acres to those encompassing tens of thousands, staying abreast of fire activity in the summer is the best way to locate burned areas for hunting. Oftentimes, small burns make the news when they’re ignited, but quickly drop off the public radar if they fail to spread. Large, infamous conflagrations, such as Colorado’s Hayman fire of 2002, may keep citizens riveted to their newspapers and televisions for weeks. Along with watching the local or regional news for fire reports, area offices of the Forest Service can also provide information on burned areas.
When assessing the potential of a particular burn for hunting, it’s critical to remember that the timing, intensity and scope of a fire all affect the way an area’s plant life responds to a burn. Fires sometimes occur in steep, rocky drainages that aren’t favorable wildlife habitat, no matter what the conditions. Wherever they happen, deer and elk don’t typically use burns during the year that a fire occurs except as travel corridors. However, areas that burn early in the season by low-intensity fires may experience an elk-beckoning green-up if the fire is followed by enough precipitation to stimulate plant growth. However, under normal circumstances, fire-blackened areas don’t produce enough forage to become attractive to large ungulates until a year or two after the fire. If the flames are exceptionally hot in areas of thin topsoil, it may take several seasons for plants to repopulate the earth.
Given the variables of forage production after a fire and game populations in an area, it’s essential to conduct some on-the-ground reconnaissance of a burn before planning to include it in a fall hunt. The extent to which deer and elk frequent a burned-over patch of mountain real estate may vary significantly between July and November. Thus, the best scouting time is just before you intend make your hunt.
When assessing a burn, be on the lookout for droppings, tracks, animal beds and any other indications that deer and elk are currently using the area. Also be on the alert for deciduous shrubs and trees that have been recently browsed or grass and other ground-growing plants that have been cropped by the chiseled front teeth of your quarry.
If a burn shows promise due to fresh sign, it’s time to develop a hunting strategy. The size and other characteristics of an area once seared by flames determine how deer and elk utilize the burn, factors that should influence your hunting methods. Oftentimes, especially on smaller burns, ungulates graze or browse on the regenerated forage from dusk until dawn, then retreat to intact cover during the day to rest. The first mule deer buck I shot on a burn fit this pattern. Just at dawn I surprised the buck and his band of does drifting from an area that had burned three years previously toward bedding cover. With snow to assist my spotting, I shadowed the moving herd then looped ahead to position myself for the shot.
In many regions, particularly those that experience low hunting pressure, elk may develop very specific travel routes as they move on and off burns to feed. When scouting, watch for their trails. Locating an ambush point in the form of an improvised ground blind or treestand on a well-used trail at the transition area between a burn and unfired timber is an excellent strategy whether drawing a bow, sighting a muzzleloader or squinting through the scope of a centerfire rifle.
On large burns, covering roughly a half square-mile or more, deer and elk may not only feed on the burn, but also use it for a daytime bedding area. This phenomenon is probably more prevalent among deer than elk, and also seems to occur more frequently for both species on burns that have had several years to rejuvenate since the fire.
Because animals aren’t using living timber or brush to conceal themselves during the day, you may need to adjust your normal spotting strategy when glassing for bedded quarry on a burn. To some extent, locating deer and elk on a burn during the daytime is similar to spying the same species on the prairie. Look for mounds of rock, coulees, patches of dense, tall grass and tangles of fallen timber. That’s where you’ll find beasts bedded on the burns. On cold days, animals seem very fond of the sunny, southern exposure afforded by burns.
In mountain ranges composed primarily of heavy timber, burns make it possible to glass much more territory than is normally possible elsewhere. However, don’t forget that the open character of the country that makes it possible for you to spy a mule deer buck at a mile’s distance also allows him to see you. On one hunt, I momentarily overlooked this factor. While approaching a buck I’d spotted roughly a mile away from my glassing perch at the edge of an expansive burn, I carelessly allowed my upper body to become visible at the crest of a low ridge. In about as many moments as it took to cuss my carelessness, the cagey buck put two more ridges between himself and the foolish hunter.
Along with specific strategies, hunters that frequent burns should keep some safety factors in mind. Not too many years after being killed by fire, the roots of standing trees that have been burned or weakened by rot lose their ability to stabilize the upright trunks. These trees soon become deadfall, most crashing to earth during windstorms. To keep yourself out of harm’s way, never hunt in an area of standing dead timber on a burn during strong winds. If hunting from a camp, make sure you pitch your tent in a place where it can’t be hit by falling trees. Burned, dead trees are obvious risks, but also remember that the effects of a fire can also compromise the root systems and stability of living trees at the edge of a bygone inferno.
Today’s outdoor enthusiasts are able to witness nature’s fire cycle on a scope that has not been seen for decades. For elk and mule deer hunters, forest fires are not only a fascinating mechanism of nature’s renewal, but prime places to find next season’s bull or buck.