How long after area burns will elk move back in?

[David/Mo]

An area that we used to hunt elk had a major burn last year. I wonder how long it will take before the elk reinhabit the area? I know It will depend on how long until the grass start growing soooo, how long after forest fire before grass comes back?
Thanks in advance
David/Mo

[elknut1]

It all depends on how hot the fire was and for what length of time. If it was a brush type fire, it will recover quickly. If it was a real forest fire it could take years. But generally by the 4th year you start seeing quite a bit green vegetation come back. Here in Idaho we had a monsterous forest fire in 1994, it' s still recovering. Areas we used to elk hunt before the fire still don' t hold elk today, it resembles a desert with dead toothpick type trees scattered throughout. But it' s not all bad. Slowly but surely it starts taking shape again and elk return to feed in these green lush areas and bed in what green timbered areas that were left. Hope your fire wasn' t as bad as this one was. In other spots we saw elk return within a couple years others took closer to 5 yrs. I can tell you one thing for sure, the fire will make you a better hunter, when you do find the elk in the burns they can spot you as quickly as you spot them, especially from a callers standpoint. There' s just not much to conceal oneself with, so you really have to be crafty and pick your spots to call. Good Luck this year. elknut1

[rather_be_huntin]

It depends on a few factors like elevation, drought conditions and the type of vegetation in the area. From what I' ve seen the basic rule of thumb is about 2 years when the elk start moving into the area again. In the high rockies the year after you have green vegetation coming up and by the second year the green grasses are coming up pretty good and they love it. It only gets better at 3 and 4 years when the vegatation really takes off. Around here we have aspens and they love to eat the young aspens as they come up.

I went to an area last month where a fire had ocurred in the summer of 2000. As we hiked throught the area we heard what sounded like gunshots, some were very odd sounding. Soon we saw a sign indicating there were timed propane cannons in the area to keep elk out. There were fences around patches of young aspen. The fences were arranged in a small circle only about 6 ft in diameter. Soon we ran into forest service employees who said they were going throught the area with shotguns also. They said they couldn' t keep the elk out of the burn area and they were eating the vegetation as fast as it came up. The fences were test areas to measure the damage the elk were doing to the young Aspen. The trees in the fenced of areas were twice as tall as those outside.

[BareBack Jack]

Typicaly they say 3-4 years,but lke everyone here has said depends where you are.

[Beans Morocco]

They may not move back " in" for quite some time, but they will usually come back ' through" if desirable forage begins growing. (usually by the next summer) Of course, if a lot of mature timber is destroyed or taken out by salvage logging, they obviously would need to find cover elsewhere. Impact on water sources is also important to consider. Ponds can be fouled by ash downed timber and mud and rock washed in by the lack of stabilizing vegetation. With all of the burns last year, it' s safe to say that wildlife biologists will have plenty of opportunity to study such things.

[David/Mo]

Thanks for the info guys.
David/Mo

[BeaverJack]

Did the fire leave some black timber, or is it completely scorched earth for miles around? If there is some dark, cool slopes left, the elk will be back as soon as grass starts poppin' . If not, they may never use the area like they did before, at least not in your lifetime. They like to feed in burns, but not as much if there ain' t a place to go to bed in safety. I know some burns where the elk move up into the cliffs durin' the day. There are benches covered with rocks that while burned, provide safe bedding area.

[121553]

Good Question. I have seen elk in after a burn as soon as a year, especially if theres a mud hole/pond they can waddel in, I hiked down the mountain here going through previous burns from the past year while working my way to the meadows, I have had some of the best elk encounters as I was going through these burns. It was difficult to hunt in as I had to climb over the fall/knock downs and every day I was covered in soot and smelt like a piece of chocoal. In the summer of 2000 we had the fires come within a 1/4 mile behind our kabin and looked like pure hell, but now everything is green and the animals are feeding on new growth provided by the fire. When the new grass shoots come up, then cheque it out, it doesn' t take long to figure if the elk are around or not, their signs are pretty evident. Cheque out new aspen growth and waters holes within these burns to add to your success. Good Luck, Bobby

[David/Mo]

Haven' t seen the area since the burn, may check it out this year. The area I' m talking about is the Trappers Lake area.
Again thanks for all the info.
David/Mo

[montana_hunter_16]

hey blackjack, i have read some of your posts talking about hunting up there west of augusta. I just got out of another 5 day trip yesterday. We started at Benchmark and came out of the North Fork of the Teton River, which as you know, but some others probably don' t, is west of Augusta, MT then north along the Rocky Mountain Front in the Bob Marshal Wilderness to west of Choteau. Anyways, back to the subject. I' d say about 25% of all we went through in the Sun River Preserve was burn. The wildlife loved it, and the outfitter I work for was talking to me about it one night and said that' s about all they hunt. Those elk, deer, bear, EVERYthing love to feed on those rich, green grasses then go back into the dark, green timber nearby to bed. If your headin' up there to augusta again this year, you should try heading up along the North fork of the Sun River to the Biggs creek Flats, the northwestern edge of that along the river is filthy rich with elk sign and I saw 2 bulls(on the preserve side) that will easily be over 300 next year.

David/mo that fire is a good thing. The forest needs it, and it will only make the hunting better, although like everyone' s saying it may take a few years, it will be worth it.
Another thing, some of those areas the only way you' ll see an elk is if its out in the burn because the vegetation is so thick, so that is another benefit.