Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Forest service closes forest land

Yep all fly rods and reels minus 1. Also brought wife’s cowboy boots AND waders.

And yes the snow is helping a ton.

I was in the area for 2nd season opener. Odd going to sleep in a tent with the sounds of helicopters and the 2 big flying boats they had working the area and seeing actual flames at night. Hope more moisture falls across the northern part of CO beyond what's coming down now.

Well about 2/3rds of the ranch burned. Whole north end. But we got real lucky as we think most all structures survived. Cousins are headed up there this week to assess things. Naturally the hayfield took the biggest hit. But it will pop back with some moisture in the spring. But the earlier beetle tree removal of about a decade or so ago and the last two years of removal apparently help considerably. South end and east side are unburned.

Good to hear, Kaywoodie.

Thanks, Smokepole.

Great news on the ranch! Some friends of mine live not too far from there up behind Soda Springs on the hill. Their home came through unscathed. She owns Hilly Lawn and does all the town flowers , or used to. Carla and Dave Lawn....you might have seen her truck around town when you are up there.

Yes the lower Soda Springs folks appear fine. Soda Springs creek runs thru very west end of ranch. I met an old hippie dude who lives up there in that area over one morning at Mountain Fork res. during a kokanee harvest back in 2010. I believe they are ok too! I’m speculating that the forest service did some back burning in the hay field as the fire map didn’t change for two days and then all of a sudden a bit more burned all way up to the ranch road. You can see it on the aerial map. I was hoping they would use the hay meadow for that because if the fire ljumped the ranch road and hit the trees on the eastside it would have burned all way to Hwy 34 and down to Shadow Mtn. Lake. LOTS of homes in that area.

I will know more later in week.

Wow.

PS, our friends who lost their place just called to get the information on our canoe that was up there for the insurance claim. Their place burnt down and they're worried about our canoe, what can you say about friends like that.

Geez I hope the insurance was paid up!

Knowing Bob, I'd bet it was insured to the hilt......
I just came down 40 from Hayden to Denver yesterday from elk hunting. It was snowing real hard and the roads were a mess all the way from the snow. Gotta think it helped the fire situation. Fire ban was on where we hunt too, and not one camp on the way up had a stovepipe sticking outta the tent. Probably because the FS was enforcing. When I heard the weather forecast was calling for lows to 16 below, I damn sure wasn't going to backpack tent camp without heat, so we boogied home early.....

Couple pics of the place Bob lost... steel roof and mostly stone walls, didn't seem to help much

Dang, looks like it was pretty well clear of timber and brush all the way around.

Dang, those photos are from my neighborhood. You could just about see my house in the photo looking down valley. I’ve killed elk and deer both on the high ridge viable on the photo looking up. BLM up there. I remember when the previous owner logged the place off and did all the mitigation. That place was as mitigated as you can get. Must’ve been a hell of a firestorm.

That’s horrible, can’t protect a place much better than that

Our friends sent a video that came from the neighbors front door camera before the place went up. It starts out in darkness, and within a few seconds goes from darkness to the trees lighting up like someone is shining a floodlight, then a shower of big glowing embers falling almost straight down, then just a wall of flame, where the video ends. All in a few seconds.

What a mess!

How was your hunt this year? I remember your story last year having your dog along with you.

What more could a person reasonably do to protect a house in that location?

It looks like it might have been saved if there had just been 2 or 3 sprinklers running full open while rotating 360-degrees up on the roof.

The dog goes everywhere with me. At elk camp again this year...

Damn, that's a shïtty deal....he kept the fuels away as best as could be expected, about like I've always kept my place in Montana. That fire must have been something else....

Can't imagine the amount of fire in the air to burn that home. Beautiful home. I am trying to think of all the game wardens from my years back there. Bob from Hot Sulphur......Rob Furth, is the only one that comes to mind! Now the clean up and dealing with the insurance companies for all these folks. What a mess!