Kids Outdoor Outpost – December 2016

North GA Wildfires

Last month, in early November, three separate forest fires erupted in north Georgia. Fires in Floyd, Fannin and Rabun counties threatened lives, homes, forest land and wildlife in our state. 

It has been a “perfect storm” for forest fires with no measurable rain in most of our state since late August. This situation has been combined with weeks of high pressure fronts that produced very low humidity. Add steady breezes to the mix, and you have the necessary elements to serve as fuel once the fires started.

I was out in early November to go after venison by way of some muzzleloading in north Georgia. As I swung the truck door open, I was greeted with a blast of smoky air. This was not going to a pleasant afternoon in the woods. 

As a bowhunter, I’m always trying to control my scent while hunting whitetails. As a positive, I figured that the smoke would certainly mask any scent that I may have overlooked. I have read that the Indians who hunted here may have also used smoke to cover their scent. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me! 

So, how have these fires affected the daily patterns of our mountain deer? Whitetails, of course, rely on vegetation for food and cover. If this is reduced by fire, what happens? More than likely, the deer will be pushed to assemble in pockets where the fires have not burned through. As a result, there are likely areas where we are experiencing an increased competition for those available food sources.

At the time of this writing, we are about to get into the peak rut season for my area. Bucks typically have a home range of about 1 square mile. That range can increase to about 6 or 7 square miles during the rut. So, if their range is reduced, would this put more deer than usual into one of those pockets not affected by fire? This is certainly something to keep in mind when you hunt these areas for the remainder of the season. According to GON’s Rut Map, some north Georgia hunters can experience good rut hunting from late November and on into December.

I do know that one of the great effects of these fires will be the tremendous habitat that will begin growing back this spring.

After arrowing two bucks this season, I will be out for some hang time in a tree searching for some does. If I’m successful, I will look forward to donating them to my chapter of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. 

I will also be looking to increase my knowledge on how forest fires can affect deer patterns and to assemble that hunting plan for my sons for when they return for the holidays and join me to hunt.