Fires challenge hunters

Hunters in Idaho and Washington should contact their fish and wildlife agency if access is barred to their special-permit hunt areas because of forest fires.

Both states are trying to make provisions for that possibility in a fire climate that’s changing daily.

“If an area is closed and that’s the only place a hunter is allowed to hunt under his permit, the best we can do is give him back his bonus points for the next drawing,” said Matt Monda, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department regional wildlife manager in Ephrata.

The access closures have been enacted by the land-management agencies, such as the Forest Service, not the fish and wildlife agencies, Monda said.

“Fire is part of the ecosystem and fires are a way of life for wildlife and also for hunters,” he said. “Part of the game of hunting involves being able to adapt to whatever a fire season delivers.”

In Idaho, hunters whose hunting area was inaccessible because of fire closures during the entire hunting season may submit a written request for a refund or rain check at the end of the season. They also can exchange a controlled hunt tag for a general tag in another area before the season opens.

Washington gave archery hunters a Sept. 7 deadline to request a refund.

In the long run, fires are a good thing for wildlife habitat, Monda emphasized. “Forest fires don’t burn everything in their path,” he said. “They usually burn in a mosaic pattern that creates a much better diversity of habitats.”