It appears to be a hot and dry deer season in N. Cal

[Siskiyou]

I just checked out the extended weather forecast for N. CAL.  Appears the drought will continue and give us more hot and dry weather.  BLM, California Department of Forestry, and the Forest Service are placing 'Fire Restrictions in place.  I guess the Northern California National Forest are placing the same restrictions in place at the same time.  I am glad to see that I will still be allowed to use a gas stove and lamp in a remote campsite.  That makes me happy.  I rather not be surrounded by others.  I'll need to pickup a campfire permit.( Check Forest Service Websites for your area.)

Recent events regarding fire have my attention.  A guy that started a wildfire near Redding, CA. with a mower is being charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor.  A large number of homes burned down and he is facing six years in State prison.  Over on the Nevada side a guy target practicing started a fire South of Reno.  The fire burned a bunch of homes.  I do not know what criminal charges he may face but I bit he is being sued by a bunch of homeowners.

My main hunting partners and I do not normally build a fire unless it is raining or we have had snow.  The risk is two high and I do not want to worry about the darn thing.  It is easier to cook on a gas stove.

The wife and I did our first of the month shopping today.  I now have four boxes full of dry goods, and can goods for deer camp.  The fresh fruit , and vegetables will get picked-up just before I leave.  By the time my partners showup we have enough for a small army.  Normally 75 percent of it goes back home.

My old high school buddy and hunting partner has been out on the weekend and evenings.  Reports it is hot and dry.  He also says that
yellow jackets are very bad.  I picked up two more traps for them.  The lack of cold winters must be allowing them to carry over.  I do not recall they being a problem in that area before.  

I need to get all my camping boxes and gear ready to load.  I'll be trying out a new tent this year.  I bought it two or three years ago but keep using the other.  I still have a small wall tent that my wife's family used coming down the Alaskan Highway in the early 50's.  Good products hold up.

When I get down in my garage and start sorting out camping and hunting equipment I sure have more choices then I had in the 60's.  I never worried about which rifle I would carry or about the room on my old WWII canteen belt.  There was a pouch with a few extra rounds of ammo, a canteen, and a canteen pouch with a sandwich, apple, candy bar, and some matches in it.  Maybe a boy scout compass.  In one pocket there was some TP, string and my deer tags.  Now days I carry a bag full of electronic equipment, and enough food for an old man.    Funny when I was young I carried little, now that I am older with bad knees I carry a bunch of toys and food.

I have an old wooden box which I carry in the pickup.  It was built by my dad, and it went on all our hunting trips.  It has deer bags, skinning knifes, meat saw, an axe, small gas stove and a couple of GI cooking kits, along with it are a few cans of food.  Fond memories go with that box.  A hot meal to kick off a afternoon or late evening hunt.  A cup of hot chocolate or coffee.  Along side that was the fire shovel or got stuck shovel.  An axe, and rake.  More then once we have stopped and put out an abandon fire.  Hunters have enough problems without escaped fires.

Anyway the equipment and the getting ready brings back a lot of memories.  

I wish you all a happy hunt. :-)

[Gun Runner]

Siskiyou, know about the fires. The one at french gulch was a bad one. We had the 49er fire in 88 here in nevada county, started by a 5150 burning his used toilet paper. 33,000 ac .and over 300 homes lost. Last week we had someone set 8 diffrent fires in the same area, lucky they jumped on them in time. Besides the home owners, the boys with their local "CROP" were real concerned about it going up in "SMOKE".  Still got camping stuff left over from the early 50's that I still use. Got some of the old Ice cans. They work great with the new ice chests that will keep things cold for 5 days. The frozen cans (J.C. Higgens and Sears) along with a little ice will last 5 days in 90 deg temps if kept shaded.  The old canvas tent with the center pole gave up the ghost years ago, and have been using the nylon with alum. outside poles. Got a double sleeping bag with the "Hot Foot" bottom from cabelas several years ago, the Mrs. said it was the best camping item I ever bought. Even bought a  queen size fold up bed frame that my queen air matress fits into. A whole new world of sleeping. Got a batt. air pump and foot pump that goes in the bag with it. No more trying to sit on the ground trying to put my clothes or shoes on. Guess in my "CRS" age some of these new fangled items are ok.

Gun Runner  

[Lawdog]

Siskiyou,

You can just bet the farm it's dry this year.  I was home last weekend and in checking out a couple of streams that ALWAYS have water they are running only half or less of what they normally are.  This years growth on all the brush is so dry it snaps when you try to bend it.

Over on the Nevada side a guy target practicing started a fire South of Reno.

No criminal charges have been leveled against him just YET, but I wouldn't bet against them doing so soon.  He said he was target shooting with a .22 rifle when a ricochet cause a spark the started the fire.  I want to know what he was shooting at and what .22 caliber he was using?  While at the Redding Chamber of Commerce center I ran into a CDF Ranger and he said they are considering closing all the back country camping areas to everyone.  If you hear any difference PLEASE post it here or over in the Western Big Game Hunting forum.  Lets all be careful of fire this year.  Good Luck And Good Hunting To All.  Lawdog
 

[Gun Runner]

Lawdog, I havant heard of any closures yet, but CDF has said no b-b-q or camp stoves if not in a desiginated camp area. ( the ones that have the iron ring fire pits) Chain saws can only be run from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., all firewood cutting permits are suspended. Was following the fire reports today and evey thing north of sfran is Red Flagged. They sent our spotter plane and 2 bombers to miricopa to assist them early this afternoon. Some of the fires in no. cal they suspect arson.
Its dry out there be carefull.

Gun Runner

[Siskiyou]

Gunner Run and Lawdog:  I am trying to keep my ear to the ground in regards to fire restriction.  Back in the middle "60's"  the fire danger was real nasty and the governor was thinking about shuting down deer season in Northern CAL.  Those were in the boom days of deer hunting in California.  I believe the governor decided to hold off because people had been moving into the woods for a week before the season.  Who was going to run out and tell them that deer season was off.   I do not recall any fires taking off during that period of time.  In my area fire news was always a big deal.  It would be all over the radio and folks would go into the Forest Service and make sack lunchs for the fire fighters.(1950's and 1960's)  It seemed like the whole world was on fire in 1956.  A stinking little thunderhead started numerous fires from the Trinity River on into Oregon.  As a little guy I can remember heavy smoke in the valley and not being able to see the sky for weeks.

We are entering into a very critical time of year in the woodlands.  Every hunter owes it to the hunting fraternity to be fire safe.  Because we all pay a price when a fire is caused by a hunter.  People are more then willing to shut us out of the woods.

Gunner Runner:  That 49er fire was a sad story.  I think I read in the sacbee in the last year or two that he was denied parole.  Burning toilet paper in the woods has a sad history.  My mother was on a lookout tower many, many years ago.  Two women hiking the Pacific Crest trail started a major forest fire while burning their TP.  If I recall correctly another major fire was started by a girls youth group in Southern CA.  I suspect this burning toilet paper craze was started by an eviromental group like the Sierra Club.  I heard they were afraid the chipmunks would eat the used paper.  Personally I think that is better for the chipmunks then roasting them along with the Spotted Owls. :yeah:
A good sleep on a hunting trip is important.  I have a thick foam mattress that I use on my cot.  I have a real cold weather sleep bag but I do not take it on early season trips.  I take a medium wt. bag to sleep in and use a older but clean light bag over the top because I have the medium bag open.  The other thing I have in my tent is a folding chair.  Sure makes it easier to pull my boots on in the morning.

Lawdog:  I suspect that guy in Nevada is in for a tough time.  I have fired my share off .22 rimfire rounds out in the woods and at jackrabbits on grassy hillsides.  I have never started a fire shooting.  I sure would like to check his ammo.  

Hopefully I will have time to stop and get a campfire permit in the next few days.  I'll see if I can pickup any information.  I guess they have arrested three or four people for arson in the Auburn area.  The SacBee had something regarding that.  

The last crazy weekend of the summer is about to start.  Hopefully nothing happens.  Because if it starts burning a lot of folks are at risk, and hunting season my get dicey.

[Siskiyou]

Hopefully this link will work for one of the Forest.  Interesting I tried the link dropping klamath/ and inserting other Northern Forest.  It worked.  I had to slush around their websites but found the fire restriction information.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/news/2004/07/firerestrictions

I also tried the CDF site but found no information on restrictions.  If you find it let us know.

In the mean time my prayers go out to folks on the Eastern Sea Board.  Looks like they are getting hit by the big nasty.  I heard they are pre-positioning emergency crews to help.

[Lawdog]

Siskiyou,

Just pulled this off the Shasta-Trinity National Forest web site; http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/news/2004/releases/048-aug18-chappie.shtml

Just in case the link doesn't work here is a copy.

Newsroom News Releases: 2004
 
News Release
USDA Forest Service

Shasta-Trinity National Forest
 
Contact: Kevin McIver
(530)226-2595
 
Chappie-Shasta Off Highway Vehicle Area temporarily closed
[August 18, 2004] - Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management officials are announcing a temporary closure of the Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Area due to proximity of the French Fire.

Officials are concerned that visitors using the off-highway vehicle routes and trails might become involved with the suppression activities associated with the French Fire.

Jones Valley Area Facilities and Trails
Jones Valley Boat Ramp and road are now open. The public needs to exercise caution when driving Forest Road 35N03. Please be aware of firefighters and equipment working in that area.

Clikapudi trail and campgrounds in the Jones Valley area will remain closed. Forest Service is restricting camping and any off road activities in this area.

For more information contact Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area Assistant Recreation Officer Cheryl Adcock at (530)242-5532.

News Releases: 2004
 
News Release
USDA Forest Service

Shasta-Trinity National Forest
 
Contact: Kevin McIver
(530)226-2595
Julie Titus
(530)926-9666
 
Shasta-Trinity National Forest Implements Fire Use Restrictions
REDDING (July 21, 2004) - On Tuesday, July 27, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest will implement fire-use restrictions due to increased fire danger. These restrictions include:

No campfires or charcoal fires except inside established campfire sites within Forest Service and Whiskeytown campgrounds and other developed recreation sites. Campfires will not be allowed in the Yolla Bolla-Middle Eel, Chanchelulla, Castle Crags, or Mount Shasta Wilderness.
Campfires will be allowed in the Trinity Alps Wilderness in some areas. Contact the local Ranger Stations in Weaverville (530-623-2121) or Big Bar (530-623-6123) for more specific information.
Smoking will be confined to enclosed vehicles or buildings, developed recreation sites, and other designated fire-safe sites.
Uses of internal combustion engines is prohibited, except on roads and designated trails. All engines must be equipped with spark-arresting devices.

Welding or operating an acetylene or other torch with an open flame is prohibited.

Exemptions to the restrictions include the following:

The use of portable gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel stoves are permitted with a valid California Campfire Permit.

Generator operation is allowed under the following conditions:
Generators must have a working Forest Service approved spark arrestor.
All flammable materials must be cleared away from generators for a minimum of five feet in all directions and a responsible person must be in attendance at all times.

Chainsaw operation is allowed with a valid Shasta-Trinity fuelwood cutting permit.

With the exception of Whiskeytown Lake, campfires are permitted within 10 feet of the water’s edge and at least fifty feet from flammable vegetation on the shoreline of Shasta Lake, Trinity Lake, and Iron Canyon Reservoir.

Campfire permits are free and available at all Forest Service offices, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) offices, and from campground hosts and Forest Service field personnel. The permit must be obtained in person to ensure the recipient receives information about the terms of the permit and current fire conditions in the forest. By accepting the permit the permittee agrees to:

Clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of five feet in all directions to prevent escape of the fire.

Have a shovel available at the campfire site for preparing and extinguishing campfires.

Extinguish campfire with water, using the drown, stir, and check method.
Persons without a permit may be subject to a fine, six-months in jail, or both. If a person is found to have caused a wildfire anywhere on the National Forest, they can be held liable for firefighting costs.

Things don't look to change until the rains come again.  Take care and safe hunting to all.  Lawdog
 

[Gun Runner]

Earlier to day wife had the fire web up and there we 37 fires going in CA, at the same time. This also included the one in Truckee were the guy set his bathroom on fire. Dont know what kind of chillie he had been eating, but sure dont want any of it.  
Shure wish we would get at least a couple days rain. For some reason almost every labor day weekend we get at least one day of rain. This is not written in stone, but seems to happen a lot. They may not get any in the lower elevations but it seems to rain in the sierra's on labor day.

Gun Runner

[Siskiyou]

I guess there is a nasty fire in Calaveras as of last night it had burned ten homes.  The news says it started from a burning motorhome.  I think somebody should take a good look at the motorhome manufacturing industry.  Over the years I have heard and read about a number of motorhomes burning along California roadways.  

One story came from a retired gentleman who lives in Gun Runner's part of the world.  Seems he bought a brand new motorhome from a dealer in the Roseville/Rocklin area.  He had driven only a few miles up the I-80 grade towards Auburn when it caught fire in the engine department.  The dealership would not make good on it.  The last I heard they were in court.  (I think he live in a place called Lake Wildwood)  The motorhome industry needs to address the burning motorhome problem.  They seemed to over heat on steep grades like the one over the Grapevine, the one up I-15, the one up Siskiyou Summit into Oregon and other locations.  Last night they showed an older gentleman who owned the burning motorhome in a grim state of shock.  His world had just take a turn for the worse.  I have no idea if anybody maintains stats on burning motorhomes, if not, they should.  I think it must be of poor workmanship in the case of new ones flaming out.  

I fixed the link to the Klamath fire restrictions.  I then checked out a number of other National Forest Links in N. CA.  The restrictions appear to be similar but there are differences.  I suggest you check them out for the area you are going hunting.  Example if I camp on the Shasta-Trinity NF I can use my generator by clearing around it.  It appears that I cannot use it on the Klamath N.F. (I'LL have to charge my gps batteries otherwise) Life gets tough.

Many years ago we had our deer camp setup in the Salmon River country.  Lightning started a major fire that burn thousands of acres.  It was just a few miles from us.  We started planning escape routes in case of a wind shift.  We could see a hunters camp on the fire side of the river.  It was high up on the ridge and was more at risk then we were.  Glassing the area we could see that they broke camp.  We spent an afternoon watching the airtankers do their job.

(Happen to lookout the window and see three fawns and two does running across the neighbors yard. Always makes me feel good.)


{I realize that I am a bad spell, but that there spell checker does not like common names like Klamath, Siskiyou, and motorhome. }  Darn

I have been holding off buying a second deer tag because of the dry weather.  If things get exciting I can always go to the F&G office in Redding and pickup a second tag.  I picked up the Upland Bird tag the other day.  I sure hope they are putting that money to use.  If I get a deer early I'll go bird hunting until I can get a second tag.

Talk to a friend in Montana. Appears those folks have had a little wetter summer then last year.

I understand they are sending a large number of Federal Fire Fighting Teams to Florida getting ready for Francis to hit land.  Good luck to all.

[Lawdog]

Siskiyou,

I am home this weekend and this morning my son and I used the caterpillar to make sure we have at least a 1,000 foot break with no brush on the side of the house where brush is located.  Turned the sprinklers on the area cleared so everything stays green and WET.  Plan on giving the local firefighters every advantage in case the worst was to happen.

Last night on the news they talked to the old guy that owned the motor home and the showed what was left of it.  Older "Winnie" from the looks of it.  Witnesses said the fire came out from under the transmission area and erupted the propane tank sending the fire into the brush.  Wind caught it and away it went.  Go to http://www.thekcrachannel.com/news/3706248/detail.html to see the current news on this fire.

The restrictions appear to be similar but there are differences. I suggest you check them out for the area you are going hunting.

You are so very right here.  Called the local ranger station and the gal answering the phone said that in the Sierra’s a number of the back country camping areas are closed to camping, off road travel, etc..  Everyone needs to check the areas they plan on going to see what restrictions may be in place.  Lawdog
 

[Siskiyou]

I have been away the last few days.  Lawdog I am glad that you have a big fire break around your place.  My neighbors have done a fair job of hazard reduction this year, but a wind could create a mess around here.

I just made it back from Frogtown and it is very dry.

While I was gone my hunting partner did some scouting.  The bottomline is that it is dry and he only spotted a small fork.  There is a chance of the far Northend getting some rain next weekend.  If there is more then an inch it will be great.  Suspect it will be a tenth in the area I hunt.

P.S.  I suspect that fire fighters would appricate all the clearing that your son did with the dozer.  Not only does it protect your buildings, but it creates a safety zone for fire fighters if there is a blow-up.  And it also creates a good anchor point to attack from.

I have been thinking about escape routes in the area I hunt deer.  We establish camp at the end of a nasty road.  If a fire starts in the low country below us we are in trouble.  It would not take much fire in these dry conditions to cross the narrow dirt road.  If conditions allowed our best chance would be to make it into a meadows full of springs.  The grass is normally short from cattle grazing.  It is the only relatively flat ground in the area.  I suspect that a fire in that country would burn 3 or 4 thousands acres in an afternoon.  If the wind is up it would go big very fast.

[Siskiyou]

I setup camp a couple of days early.  The weather was nice, but turned nasty with high winds and dry snow. Campfires were not allowed but my propane heater did a better job.  This weekend it was hot and dry.  

Check with your local Forest regarding fires.  In some areas restrictions have been modified.  A family member will be hunting in X-1 this coming weekend.  He better take his long johns in the morning.

[IntrepidWizard]

Since we lost that young Gal Firefighter[6 miles do East of me] they have cracked down.I have caught two hunters and have their rifles and just mailed their DL back to DMV today.

[Siskiyou]

Sounds like they had more problems then an illegal campfire.  It goes to show that if you have other legal problems an illegal fire can be a beacon in the sky.  I had two guys show up at my remote camp two nights before the season started.  They were looking for a couple of high mountain lakes to go fishing.  They seemed unaware of the opening of hunting season.  Thats okay, I like to fish, and I like to be in the outdoors even if I am not hunting or fishing.

I had to do it!   I brought out my gps, brought up near by lakes, and found that the lake they wanted was about two air miles away.  There was a lot of rocks and cliffs in between.  They said they were going back off the mountain and try the next road system up from the pavement.  Frankly I did not believe them and called my hunting partner on the cell phone.  I gave him the vehicle license, and descriptions.

The next morning I went out scouting and found them setup in a roadside campsite with an illegal fire.  While illegal the fire was a safe area with at least 30 feet of bare dirt.  We had a little discussion regarding their fishing plans and I reminded them that campfires were not allowed.  I wanted to make sure it was out when they left.(It was)

I am aware that hunters get blamed for all abandon campfires this time of year.  Reality shows that many of these fires are left by kids partying, fishermen, and other recreationist.  Unfortunately some hunters do leave their fires.  I consider those people a blight on the sport.

I prefer not to bother with a campfire.  I do not want to worry about it.  I have a family member who insists on a campfire when they are legal.  I no longer hunt with him because I end up putting the dam thing out before going hunting.  I do not want to be held responsible for his fire.