Wildfires likely will affect access for hunters

The Daily Inter Lake

Archery hunters may need to reassess their destinations, especially if they were considering a backcountry hunt into the Bob Marshall Wilderness or along the Rocky Mountain Front.

Although the archery season opens Saturday, 10 fires ranging from 400 acres to 57,000 acres continue to burn in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and adjoining backcountry on the Flathead, Lewis and Clark, Lolo and Helena national forests.

There continues to be high fire danger for these areas. Much of the Rocky Mountain Ranger District plus trails and areas on adjoining national forests are closed, according to a Forest Service press release.

Until conditions change, bow hunters and those planning for the Sept. 15 early season rifle hunt in the wilderness are advised to check with the local ranger district offices, call the Joint Fire Information Center at 1-866-831-7450 or visit individual National Forest Web sites or www.activefires.net/jic_mt for the most current information about closures.

Ranger district contacts are: Spotted Bear at 406-758-5376, Rocky Mountain at 406-466-5341, Seeley Lake at 406-677-2233, Hungry Horse at 406-387-3800, Lincoln at 406-362-4265, Swan Lake at 406-837-7500.

Despite the large area closure on the east side of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, bow hunters can still reach portions of the west side on the Flathead National Forest and the southeastern portion of the Scapegoat Wilderness in the Elk and Dearborn Creek drainages on the Lewis and Clark National Forest.

Much of the backcountry remains open even though there are active fires on the west side of the Continental Divide.

As Spotted Bear District Ranger Deb Mucklow explains: "The fires on the Spotted Bear Ranger District are considerably smaller than those on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District and although we have some area and trail closures in effect, many of the main trails into the backcountry remain open."

According to Mucklow, hunters can still reach the west side of the Bob Marshall Wilderness via:

Holland Lake trails, Smith Creek Pass, Napa Point Trailhead, Gorge Creek Trailhead, Meadow Creek Trailhead, Beaver Creek Trailhead, South Creek Trailhead, Upper Twin Creek Trailhead and Lower Twin Creek Trailhead.

On the south end of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Pyramid Pass Trailhead on Seeley Lake Ranger District has reopened, allowing access for three miles of the Youngs Creek Trail. Several other trails in this area have been reopened. The Railley Mountain Fire is still active beyond these reopened areas.

Likewise, Ranger Jimmy DeHerrera on the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District invites hunters to access the Great Bear Wilderness.

"Hunters may be looking for a new place to hunt, and the Great Bear Wilderness currently has no active fires."

The following trails and roads are open for backcountry users:

Skyland Road and Granite Creek, Morrison Creek, Snake Creek, Devil Creek, Bear Creek, Dickey Creek, Grant Ridge, Essex Creek, Baptiste and Logan Creek trails.

Stage Two fire restrictions remain in place on the general forest and Stage One restrictions apply for the wilderness. Backcountry campfires are not permitted under either type of restrictions. Only liquid petroleum or LPG stoves are permissible.

The general big-game season is still several weeks away, yet hunters should realize that weather forecasters predict a continuation of the high-pressure system and warm weather in coming weeks.

Normally a mountain snowstorm - considered a season-ending event - is expected in late September, well before the general big-game hunting season starts.

Rocky Mountain District Ranger Mike Munoz cautioned hunters about post-fire safety considerations: "We're likely to open the unburned areas first and then assess conditions within the fire areas to determine whether residual hot spots or fire-created snags and trails blocked by downed logs remain a safety issue along our access routes."

Munoz said some burned areas may not reopen this season, especially for those hunting parties that would have to partly rely on grass feed for their stock.

Outfitter and guides impacted by fire closures have been contacted.

District rangers within the wilderness complex are exploring ways to relocate outfitted operations and/or open access routes to areas on the west side of the wilderness for the early rifle hunt. In some cases outfitter camps have been burned over and in other cases, traditional hunting areas have been impacted by the fires.