Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: WapitiTalk1 on April 18, 2014, 02:11:35 PM
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Do you folks have a fire at your camp (base or backcountry) to dry clothes, gaze into, or tell stories around when you're bowhunting or packing a smokepole (earlier season elk hunting). Or, do you have a cold camp because you feel smoke on your clothes/person stands against you in battle with the sensitive nose of the wary elk?
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We have fires but I change out of my hunting clothes and into my camp clothes. I also rotate through a few pairs of clothes and leave my next day's pair hanging in the trees during the day while we are out hunting.
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During the archery we went cold.
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For me and the family a camp fire is a huge part of the experience and ambiance. It just isn't the same without one we do a large portion of our cooking and visiting around the fire.
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Fire, and never in any part of my hunting attire.
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Fire if the rain stops long enough. Smoke gets washed out the next day in rain anyways.
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If you are camping and not showering you stink... period. Especially if you sweat at all. You have to hunt the wind. It won't matter if you smell like campfire or not. So say have a fire to stay warm and dry out.
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Fires are great around camp. I always like to have one when it is permitted. Sometimes we have a fire in our duck blind while we are hunting all day, that is awesome!
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:cmp1:
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If you are camping and not showering you stink... period. Especially if you sweat at all. You have to hunt the wind. It won't matter if you smell like campfire or not. So say have a fire to stay warm and dry out.
Fires are great around camp. I always like to have one when it is permitted. Sometimes we have a fire in our duck blind while we are hunting all day, that is awesome!
gotta have a fire when permitted . been thinking about getting one of those propane camp fires for burn ban seasons.
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If you are camping and not showering you stink... period. Especially if you sweat at all. You have to hunt the wind. It won't matter if you smell like campfire or not. So say have a fire to stay warm and dry out.
Fires are great around camp. I always like to have one when it is permitted. Sometimes we have a fire in our duck blind while we are hunting all day, that is awesome!
gotta have a fire when permitted . been thinking about getting one of those propane camp fires for burn ban seasons.
I have one and it's great during early season. I can't stand being at camp after hunting all day and not being able to hang out next to a fire
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If you are camping and not showering you stink... period. Especially if you sweat at all. You have to hunt the wind. It won't matter if you smell like campfire or not. So say have a fire to stay warm and dry out.
I was going to say the exact thing. After two days everything I own smells like bacon grease, smoke, sweat, coffee, etc.... No matter how well you de-scent you still need to play the wind. Build a big fire and enjoy! :tup:
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Fire all the way. Doesn't matter what I stink like even after 7 days. If I don't have the thermals in my favor, I don't pursue that elk. :twocents:
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We like to carry camp on our back. one guys sets up a tarp while the other one gets the mountain house ready. Then it is eat, sort gear, and sleep. No time or energy left for a fire. Elk season is all too short I can camp during the other fifty weeks of the year :sry:
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if anything animals smell fire all the time! I have hunted areas with actively burning slash piles.. i purposely wore my clothes around the fire
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Last year during the last week of September I was building a fire every day at noon. It was snowing and/or raining almost every day, and the warmth was very welcome.
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:fire.: :fire.: :fire.: :cue:
Have had lots of elk walk right by my fire in the night tracks told me in the morning. I thunk they like the fire as much as i do.
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There is so many campfires going during hunting season and so much slash burning I do not think a animal atleast not elk give a hoot. I was hunting in 2 ft of snow one time black powder. Got cold and set down at lunch built a fire between my legs. lots of smoke.
Bull 3 or 4 point walked right up in front of me feeding. No bull tag.
We have a couple wood stoves going and a campfire. Elk go by all the time.
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I've had deer and elk walk right up to a camp fire on more than one occasion. We used to take lawn chairs out to a favorite spot and build a fire and wait for the critters. No issues with wood smoke smell.
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Most critters are use to the smell. My grandfather said smoke is the best scent blocker there is. With forest fires an all you'd think they are use to it. Hunting the wind is always important.
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if anything animals smell fire all the time! I have hunted areas with actively burning slash piles.. i purposely wore my clothes around the fire
:yeah: If anything smoke is a good cover scent.
sent from my typewriter
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My grandfather used to hunt elk by sitting in a timber strip between two giant clear cuts for the whole season. He would sit next to the fire he built for a week or more. He got a bull more years than not.
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I like the fire when permitted.. I'm usually hunting/camping solo and the fire is kind of comforting at night for some reason.. There are nights though when it's Mt House and straight to bed.. Long days of hiking a over the woods in september.. More times than not though I'll have a little fire to sit by for my evening whiskey.
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Very seldom we can have fires in sept during archery season so its nice coming back to a fire in the late season once in a while.
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There has been a truck designated to haul nothing but firewood over the years. We ain't leaving with a single piece. Burn it.
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There has been a truck designated to haul nothing but firewood over the years. We ain't leaving with a single piece. Burn it.
:tup:
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Before I moved to Washington we would have a fire every night at elk camp in Colorado. Take off the orange coat and hat, crack open a cold one and enjoy the company.
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hunt hard before dark till after dark eat sleep repeat, typically and early season pattern . late season or scouting season what the heck let her flicker if the weather permits.
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Up and attem @ 330am, back to camp after 9pm........no time for fire and such. Mid day meal and a nap and thats it.
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Fire defiantly during the late season that's a must great memories made. Early season even if we were able to have a fire usually to beat. Hunting 15hrs of daylight for a week straight all you wanna do is eat and sleep back a at camp. Reguardless early or late hunting colthes off as soon as back to came for scent control.
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I usually have a cold camp because I'm too wore out to build one.
I'm of the belief that scent elimination is black magic and that hunting the wind right is the most important...besides natural wood smoke is a natural smell.
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That is the good part of hunting in the wilderness Fire restrictions don't apply so a camp fire is a given when cold and or wet
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I wont hunt without a fire, I use it to dry my clothes, cook and just flat out relax by, ain't no better food than food cooked over a camp fire... the best part is camp fire smoke is the best cover scent known to man and that comes from the fact of huntn blacktails for a very long time and I know how effective campfire smoke is :tup:
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I read an article some time ago written by an "expert" NE elk hunter that suggested "stoke that fire". His claim was that the animals were very used to the smell of burning wood (wild fires, scheduled burns, etc.). And that it is a matter of preference (or superstition....) whether or not to have a fire. I personally have a fire back at camp. If I am not going back to camp, I still have a fire....it gets cold sometimes in October on the East-side.... I do like to isolate my clothes from human smells though, when possible. There are sometimes that I really don't care. I haven't noticed a huge difference in success. I have been busted by my smell a few times though...at least I can assume....I've never asked my quarry....
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Early season, no fire, too tired and no time to make a fire. I don't think smoke spooks elk. I've read that smoke carbon adsorbs other odors. Don't know if that's true.
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I like a camp fire. It can make a camp complete. Usually have my wood stove in the wall tent also but this last year the burn bans even prohibited the use of the stove in the early season.
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For those who hunt in from a base camp and are worried about "polluting" the area with smoke...look into building a rocket stove....they burn hot enough to burn up the smoke but are very efficient on wood...I built one for a fishing camp an its pretty awesome..building one for elk camp this year as well
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After a few days of hiking I don't think i can apply enough scent killer to cover all my B.O. A few minutes near the campfire and its good to go.
Last weekend I scouted for elk with my buddy who had the hunt last year. Nice campfire after a long, exhausting day. Shortly before bed we were accosted by a county sheriff deputy who kicked around our camp yelling about "Stage 1 Fire Restrictions" and threatening to ticket one or both of us. I handed him a piece of propaganda from the USFS that stated that campfires inside of metal rings at established campgrounds were permitted under the current restrictions. He made some calls inside his rig and later apologized and was on his way. :rolleyes:
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Fire for sure :tup:
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Fire at camp and if cold enough fire mid day in the woods during lunch at a nice high lookout point, warm my butt while glassing for elk :chuckle:...Friends that guide in Montana actually start fires everyday during lunch, they have killed alot of elk that wander into the area curious about whats going on.