111 Report post Posted June 9, 2011 I think both unit 1 and 27 will be pretty bad hunts this year. Even after the monsoon rains this year I don't think enough green will be available to bring many elk back. Next year and especially the years after it could turn into a very good hunt again! I was fortunate to draw a bull tag this year in a different unit and couldn't imagine losing it due to a fire. I hope all of you with 1 and 27 tags get something in fair comparison for drawing tags this year. I know a fire is out of game and fish's control, but the hunters who applied before the hunt didn't apply for a unit that just finished burning. Good luck to you guys with tags and let us know what you find out with this situation! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mje1 Report post Posted June 11, 2011 Hopefully it works out for all that drew those tags its a long wait usually for those hunts. Maybe with some luck some areas were spared by only burning on the ground and the rains will come in slow and not wash the country away. My friends and i spent many years in 1 &27 and have learned alot about the elk habits now we will have to learn all over and that takes time. Still very bummed over the fire that area was my favorite place to vacation and hunt. Mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntlines Report post Posted June 13, 2011 Well I believe probably because I have a tag and can only be positive, that it will still be a great hunt. I have heard from people who know some of the firefighters. They are saying that only the areas where the fire made big runs during the windy days are completely burned out. A lot of the area where the fire has burned slower, there it only burned the under brush and most of the trees survived. I also read on the game and fish web site that they feel it will still be a good hunt. They said most of the larger animals survive these types of fires. I don't think it is going to be as bad as some believe. It just needs to RAIN!!!!! Hopefully in July when the monsoons come and they slowly start to open things back up to the public I will get to go scouting. I will let you know what I find. I had already done some early scouting before the fires. As dry as it was I knew something like this was going to happen. Good luck to any of you who also got drawn. I can't wait...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntlines Report post Posted June 13, 2011 Well I believe probably because I have a tag and can only be positive, that it will still be a great hunt. I have heard from people who know some of the firefighters. They are saying that only the areas where the fire made big runs during the windy days are completely burned out. A lot of the area where the fire has burned slower, there it only burned the under brush and most of the trees survived. I also read on the game and fish web site that they feel it will still be a good hunt. They said most of the larger animals survive these types of fires. I don't think it is going to be as bad as some believe. It just needs to RAIN!!!!! Hopefully in July when the monsoons come and they slowly start to open things back up to the public I will get to go scouting. I will let you know what I find. I had already done some early scouting before the fires. As dry as it was I knew something like this was going to happen. Good luck to any of you who also got drawn. I can't wait...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZ KRAZY Report post Posted June 17, 2011 This came from AZG&F...Good luck to anyone with a 1 or 27 tag. I don't have a tag but I've waited a long time for one...sad, sad, sad !! Hunting: The Game Management Units affected by the Wallow Fire on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests are Units 1 and 27. Popular hunts in these units include elk, antelope, deer, turkey and bear. The Game Management Units affected by the Horseshoe Two Fire on the Coronado National Forest are primarily Unit 29 and portions of Unit 30A. Popular hunts in these areas include mule deer, white-tailed deer, javelina, and small game. The Game Management Units affected by the Murphy Fire on the Coronado National Forest are Units 36A, 36B and 36C. Popular hunts in these areas include mule deer, white-tailed deer, javelina and small game. Many hunters might immediately come to the conclusion that their hunts in the fire areas are now ruined due to the fires, out of the perceptions that there will be reduced numbers of game, limited or no access, that the forest is completely burned, or that the overall hunting experience is compromised. Although some hunts will undoubtedly be affected, they might not necessarily be as severe as perceived. Here is what we found in Game Management Unit 3C in the aftermath of the Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002: Of the Unit 3C habitat on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests impacted by the fire, 28 percent was determined to be severely burned, 19 percent moderately burned, 26 percent low impact, and 27 percent was unburned. There was no significant reduction in the availability of big game animals in the fall hunts. After the Rodeo-Chediski Fire, Game and Fish personnel conducted two aerial surveys and several ground surveys in the unit. There was no evidence of any large migration of elk or deer out of the burn area. With the onset of the monsoon, it is anticipated that a significant portion of Units 1 and 27 will have adequate forage, and that elk will be well distributed prior to the hunts. The elk/antelope draw was held in the spring and permits have been issued. The department has received some questions about whether there is a contingency for refunds on a hunt permit or for a hunter to turn down the permit to retain his or her bonus points. There is currently no provision in state law or commission rule for refunds on a permit, or for a hunter to turn down the permit to retain his or her bonus points. As is stated on page 16 of the 2011-12 Arizona Hunting Regulations booklet: The issuance of any big game permit has no express or implied guarantee or warranty of hunter success. Any person holding a valid permit assumes the risk that circumstances beyond the control of Arizona Game and Fish may prevent the permit holder from using the permit. In such situations, Arizona Game and Fish disclaims any responsibility to reissue or replace a permit, to reinstate bonus points or to refund any fees. The department and commission may analyze this situation further once the fires are under control and it is possible to truly assess the fire’s actual impacts. Hunters who have not yet applied for the fall hunts for deer, turkey, javelina, bighorn sheep, buffalo and pheasant will want to consider the different variables if applying for hunts in the affected fire areas. Until the fires are put out, there is no certainty what the conditions will be, but they could range from area closures to near-normal hunting conditions come hunting season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHT_MTNMAN Report post Posted June 17, 2011 3c was a little tougher to hunt the year of the fire, but not in great amounts. Unless the wallow fire is significanlty different than Rodeo/Chediski than hunting will be pretty normal. UNLESS they completely stop allowing any type of access to the forest. In the RD fire they did not allow overnight camping in those areas because of danger of falling trees, but access was allowed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesFanatic Report post Posted June 17, 2011 If they block access then there will be nowhere to hunt in 27! Almost all of the Elk inhabitable area has been burnt. I sure hope this fire was just on the ground for some of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted June 17, 2011 All was not lost. From what I've been hearing, there still are lots of green areas inside the fire zones of 1 and 27, and friends in Eagar and elsewhere are reporting seeing plenty of elk and deer still alive and doing their thing. In unit 1, all of the area north of the McNary to Eagar highway wasn't touched at all. Neither was the Blue in 27. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesFanatic Report post Posted June 18, 2011 The fire aint over yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
double lunger14 Report post Posted June 18, 2011 Theres still plenty of good area left in 27!!!!!!!! im keeping my faith ill still whack a toad come September! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted June 18, 2011 I've been hearing some positive things as well about unit 1. Yes, some areas were completely torched, but it sounds like a lot of the area burned through quickly and the pines will survive, and even some of the areas shown in the maps of the fire's path survived unscathed - or with minimal damage. Maybe that's just hopeful thinking from a guy with a unit 1 bull archery tag to look forward to. Some areas will take years, even decades to recover. Others won't make a full recovery in our lifetimes, or even our kids' lifetimes from what I've seen. Overall, and I'm basing this on what I've seen over the past years in 3A/3C since the Rodeo/Chedisky fire, units 1 and 27 will see a huge surge of game in the next 5-10 years as a result of this fire. On the other hand, it will look charred for a very long time, even if the wildlife rebounds. I'm really just waiting to actually drive around and see for myself what the actual fire damage has been. I'll take my camera with me, and share what I see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntlines Report post Posted June 21, 2011 I have also heard the same things about unit 1. Some of my areas should have been mostly ground fire with crowning happening here and there. I truely believe it will be fine as long as the FS allows access. If the FS just didn't allow people to camp in some areas due the falling tree danger that don't worry me at all. I will drive in every day if I have to. Just keep prayin for rain so this thing will get put out and we can start scouting again. Scouting is going to be even more critical this year than any other...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whiteeye Report post Posted June 21, 2011 I have also heard the same things about unit 1. Lance, I hope your right. My dad and I both got drawn for elk, me in unit 1 and him in 27. What I worry about is that now that a lot of the habitat has been burned, there are going to be dozens of hunters on top of each other staking out the same unburned patch of forest. I know there are thousands of acres in each of these units, but none the less it going to bunch things up a little... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntlines Report post Posted June 22, 2011 I believe there will be some areas where the fire crowned and burned everything but I believe more than half the unit will be huntable. Yes there were 40 extra tags for bull elk this year so there will be lots of people. I think a guy will just have to hike into areas deeper to get away from eachother. I don't see a problem because I like to be as far away from everyone else as possible anyway. I truely believe this is going to turn out to be a great hunt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted June 23, 2011 maybe that fire will smooth 27 out a little. Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
