Fire danger closures begin, PBTF, St Helens Tree Farm

[bwhntr2819]

Just checked the Port Blakely Tree Farm website and got this bad news:

Extreme Fire Danger Causes Land Closure
September 8, 2011

Until further notice PORT BLAKELY TREE FARMS timberland in Lewis County east of Mayfield Lake is closed to ALL public access due to extreme fire danger. This closure applies to foot, horse, motorized and any other form of access.

To report fires call 911.

This notice replaces any prior notices regarding Port Blakely Tree Farms land access.

Bummer.  Hope it cools down and rains soon.

Called the Weyerhauser hotline, they are also closing the St Helens Tree Farm AS of today until "extreme fire conditions" subside.  Gonna wreck alot of hunters early season.

[zackmioli]

do you know where that closure extends to? i was planning to head to the port blakely land bordering the randle and packwood units this weekend. im assuming that area is included but just want to know if anyone knows for sure.

[bowhunter74]

Looks like Longview Timber is shutting down access as well in WA and in OR.

http://longviewtimber.com/content/home/land_closures-23664.html

[bwhntr2819]

http://

do you know where that closure extends to? i was planning to head to the port blakely land bordering the randle and packwood units this weekend. im assuming that area is included but just want to know if anyone knows for sure.

East of mayfield lake + Lewis county= closed

[AKBowman]

Looks like its supposed to cool down to the high 60's on the west side by Thursday. Could be a saving grace.

    pray for rain.

[zackmioli]

http://

do you know where that closure extends to? i was planning to head to the port blakely land bordering the randle and packwood units this weekend. im assuming that area is included but just want to know if anyone knows for sure.

East of mayfield lake + Lewis county= closed

thanks, i went to the site and looked more closely and figured it out. guess ill have to move up more into the gifford pinchot forest.

[Little Fish]

Thanks for the info. That is a major bummer as I usually hunt Weyerhaeuser land. Hopefully things will change next week sometime.

[craigos]

Yep, Hancock Tree Farm in North Bend, WA also shutdown today ...

[xd2005]

Looks like Longview Timber is shutting down access as well in WA and in OR.

http://longviewtimber.com/content/home/land_closures-23664.html

Saw that this morning...GRRRR That's one of my spots.

[longbow11b1p]

One day in the mudflow for bull and poof its over.oh well I knew the problems With the tag when I put in for it. Had a 10 yard shot at a spike but taking it never entered my mind. Also got into a big heard with a good bull just could,nt get close. Not bad for 6 hrs of huntingf, if it opens back up I'll be there ,till then its back to my standby  Spot.

[notellumcreek]

hancock in white river is closed too 

[foambeetle]

Looks like its supposed to cool down to the high 60's on the west side by Thursday. Could be a saving grace.

    pray for rain.

 

[AKBowman]

Pretty much most Timber co east of I-5 and south of Oly is not looking good.

But, like a big fat guy once told me on the side of a steep shale slope wayyyyyy up high in the Chugach range with a nice ram on his back said..."all you can do is hunt and be happy youre alive"

[AKBowman]

Looks like its supposed to cool down to the high 60's on the west side by Thursday. Could be a saving grace.

    pray for rain.

 

We'll still get em' Foambeetle I'm sure of it!

[RadSav]

If you Toutle tag holders are heading south to find open land expect a complete zoo.  Been off the Rock Creek road for a week now and it's a real challenge.  Some real yahoos are parking rigs at every good hunting spot and leaving them there 24 hours a day getting taxied back and forth twice a day to a base camp.  This morning due to the closures up north we need a traffic cop at all the intersections.  Already seen a few bad confrontations I thought were going to get bloody.  Poor hunter etiquette combined with timberland closures and hunting down here is loosing it's appeal really fast.  We'll stick it our over the weekend, but if things do not improve we'll be putting our camp site up for auction and bug out till late season.

Haven't heard an elk bugle after 3 a.m. down here in almost two weeks.  Two of us in the Toutle and five in the Yale and we have seen five elk - 3 cows, one spike and one branched bull in velvet.  All but one hunter with more than 20 years experience and some high success ratios.

I'm not trying to scare anyone away from coming down.  But, be prepared for some less than ideal hunting and a lot of competition for the few areas of access if you do.

I think I will start the bidding for my camp site at $500.00 or $1,000.00 if you want me to leave the trailer and elk pepperoni