South Cherokee Burning

[timberjack86]

Here's my question, what are they going to nest in if all the underbrush is burned? It will take several weeks to make a spot thick enough to hide a nest from predators after a burn.

 

[th88]

My issue with a lot of the USFS burns during the spring is the burn size. But they are handicapped by personnel/time constraints so light up as much as possible each burn day. Ten 500 acres burns spread across the landscape are much more beneficial to wildlife than one giant 5000 acre burn. Im not worried about nesting impacts of smaller burns. But those giant burns...Can't convince me or many biologists that they aren't somewhat harmful. They basically take away a lot of usable habitat/landscape as research shows turkeys prefer burn edges, rarely venturing out in the middle of those giant burns.

 

[Andy S.]

^^^^ Agreed. Very akin to a clearcut in the middle of a big vast hardwoods tract. Ten 500 acre clearcuts that will grow up thick, sporadically spread across the landscape, are much more beneficial to wildlife than one giant 5000 clearcut.

 

[megalomaniac]

Here's my question, what are they going to nest in if all the underbrush is burned? It will take several weeks to make a spot thick enough to hide a nest from predators after a burn.

The only burns I've hunted were on south MS private and DeSoto public. I've never seen a burn here that completely consumes all underbrush. In fact, some areas are still so thick under the tall pines you can't even walk through them. I don't seem to find as many turkeys in the ultra thick post burn areas as I do the areas where the fire got hotter and consumed more underbrush. The following year after a real hot burn seems to be the best, with a LOT more usage by turkeys. The benefits of the burn seem to be waning fast 2 years after a burn in my experiences.

 

[cowhunter71]

Still you would think they would try to do a burn at the first week or two in March instead of first weeks of April but that's promising that the hens will try to re-nest. I am 100% for burns, but just seems our turkey have a hard enough time nesting without doing a control burn on the front end of nest initiation idk?

Solid, logical thinking. This rain will shut it down for a few days, but only prolong their efforts.

 

[SwampChicken]

Had the same issue a few years back with the South Carolina DNR doing the same $hit in the Francis Marion NF. Makes me livid

 

[Andy S.]

^^^ I've read numerous articles of complaint about what you describe in SC. Very heated topic over there.

 

[@fulldraw]

Still you would think they would try to do a burn at the first week or two in March instead of first weeks of April but that's promising that the hens will try to re-nest. I am 100% for burns, but just seems our turkey have a hard enough time nesting without doing a control burn on the front end of nest initiation idk?

CNF had been planning to burn back at the beginning of March. Weather hasn't allowed the burns until now. Green up is close so there isn't much time left for burning this spring. They're just trying to get as much as they had planned in.