Deer, elk hunters regain region closed by wildfires

Tgood news for hunters with big game tags in Area 6 north of Elko. All portions of the Mountain City-ruby Mountains-jarbidge Ranger District that were closed to public access because of the South Sugarloaf Fire have been reopened by the U.S. Forest Service. That includes all hunt units affected by the fire.

The final closures were lifted Sept. 12 after initial assessments by the Burn Area Emergency Response team.

Along with renewed access, hunters will find that deer pushed around by the fire are moving back into their traditional haunts, despite the burned over landscape. That’s because deer and other animals are creatures of habit. But while you will see deer or elk in the middle of a burn, they will seek out unburned islands of vegetation and greenbelts of cover.

Keep in mind that animals need three basic things to survive — food, water and cover. The need for food and water is obvious, but hunters sometimes overlook their need for cover.

The term cover refers to somewhere the animals feel safe. That could be a stand of mahogany trees, a patch of tall sagebrush or a low pocket. Find those things and you will find the deer or elk.

Hunters should proceed with caution.

“I can’t stress how important it is for recreationists, hunters and local residents to remain vigilant about safety hazards if they are in the fire’s burned area,” district ranger Josh Nicholes said in a news release.

Even the most experienced forest visitor should stay alert for safety hazards and changes fires often make to the terrain, Nicholes said. These changes can be ongoing for years after a fire has been extinguished.

When venturing into an area that has been burned, Nicholes said hunters should keep the following list of possible hazards in mind:

Ash and needles on trails and footpaths can make for slippery conditions.

Burned-out stump holes make the forest floor weak and unstable.

Unstable dead trees can fall suddenly in windy conditions.

Loose rocks and locks can cause rolling debris.

LAKE MEAD — Striper fishing remains good. Anglers are catching the line sides outside of Callville Bay and in the vicinity of Boulder Beach. Morning and sunset hours continue to be the most productive times of day. Poppers and Rooster Tails are catching stripers and black bass. The black bass are hiding along drop-offs about 20 feet down. As temperatures begin to cool, bass will move into shallower water closer to the shoreline. Catfish are biting on anchovies during the overnight hours.

LAKE MOHAVE — Catfish are biting outside of Willow Beach and on the south end near Katherine Landing. The fish are taking chicken liver and anchovies. Striped bass also are taking anchovies. Trolling has been especially effective. Black bass are taking jigs and swimbaits. Whopper Ploppers are fooling the fish. Marshy coves are hiding catfish and black bass, while stripers are cruising outside the coves.

LAUGHLIN — Stripers are biting, but fishing reports are slow. Temperatures have remained on the high side. Stripers are hitting Bomber Long A’s and anchovies. Drift fishing with soft plastics is catching smallmouth bass. Sunrise and sunset have been the best times to fish along Casino Row and south to Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area. A limited number of small rainbow trout have been stocked below the dam for bug control purposes, but they should grow to catchable size in the next few months.

LAS VEGAS URBAN PONDS — The NDOW September catfish plant is scheduled for the end of the month and will be followed by another plant in October. Bluegill, catfish and bass are taking mealworms and chunks of night crawlers at most of the ponds. Catfish also are taking hot dogs and chicken gizzards.

KIRCH WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA — Despite low water levels at area reservoirs, the action for bass and trout has been very good. Anglers fishing from kayaks and canoes claimed “the bass were hitting like crazy.” The fishermen said they caught and released about 200 fish in just a few hours. Stocked rainbows have been hitting spinning lures at Haymeadow.

EAGLE VALLEY RESERVOIR — Water levels are a little low, as is usual for late summer, but trout and bass continue to hit well on spinning lures, spoons and flies. Bait anglers also are doing well with Powerbait or night crawlers. Anglers should soon see some relief from the challenges of aquatic vegetation as it begins to die off with the arrival of cooling overnight temperatures.

ECHO CANYON RESERVOIR — Despite low water levels, the few anglers who have been fishing the reservoir are doing great for trout and bass. If you are looking for a place to catch nice fish and avoid crowds, this is the place to be. Trout are taking Powerbait in orange or green coloration, as well as night crawlers with a bit of mini-marshmallow.

UPCOMING EVENT — National Public Lands Day is Saturday. NDOW will partner with the National Park Service and other agencies for an outdoor event at the Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park in Laughlin from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Flash flooding and resulting mud flows might be common in areas where there is no longer vegetation.

Scientists on the BAER team aren’t alone in evaluating the burn area and its impact on natural and cultural resources. One of America’s largest sportsmen conservation organizations also is on the ground.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has scheduled a volunteer project to assist with the replacement of almost 20 miles of fence that was destroyed when the fire burned through the Wildhorse Ranch, site of the newest conservation easement in Nevada. The fire also destroyed three of four structures comprising ranch headquarters, along with most of the grazing and pasture lands, said Les Smith, Nevada regional director for the RMEF, in an email.

“Our project will be centered on pulling as much wire as we can off the dead posts and removing it from the ranch,” Smith said. “This will hopefully give him (the rancher) a jump-start on getting new fence in before winter. These fences are essential to keeping Borsini cattle where they belong and out of the reserve and riparian areas.”

Whenhealthy,theeasementprotects 4,500 acres of key wildlife habitat and opens access to more than 19,000 acres of public land. The fence-pulling project is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday beginning at 7:30 a.m. Details are on the RMEF Nevada Facebook page.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions are his own. Find him on Facebook at @ dougwritesoutdoors. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.