Cohutta Wilderness on Fire

[whitetailfreak]

This is the latest update. I do know resources have quadrupled in the last 4 days.

 

[The Cohutta Strutter]

Sounds like they are willing to let this thing run its course if it just will. It might could get around or across Rough in it's headwaters but not so sure on the lower end. These updates are much appreciated !

 

[whitetailfreak]

....

 

[whitetailfreak]

Fort Mtn barely visible from Chatsworth today.

 

[Timber1]

Yesterday looking eastward. And this morning at sunrise.

 

[whitetailfreak]

5000+ acres now coming West across East Cowpen.

 

[turkeykirk]

Must be a good fire. Had smoke at my house 50 miles south of Atlanta last night.

 

[EAGLE EYE 444]

Smoke from the north Georgia and also some south Tennessee fires was even in the Augusta area yesterday too. The weatherman on two local competing networks showed those results last night.

I've heard that one of these Georgia fires has been burning for around a month now and that is surely scary as it will probably be a while yet to get contained as such in that kind of mountainous elevations etc. We really do need a hard rain-soaking rain for a few days to help this fire and drought situation. I know that several trees are dying on my property and the main creek is completely dry and the four ponds are at least 3 feet low now.

 

[Luke0927]

And why dont we have good controled fires in mountains any more....? .Gov ?

 

[Timber1]

Went to check out the fire situation this morning. Pretty much everything is closed.
Did see a group of gobblers. Cant remember exactly where. Off mill creek rd. Somewhere between lower orv trail and cowpen rd. There is a gobbler in the bottom picture. I need a better camera. I was surprised they didnt fly. Maybe all the thick smoke.

 

[GLS]

The smoke made it to Savannah yesterday. Gil

 

[oldfella1962]

Smoke from the north Georgia and also some south Tennessee fires was even in the Augusta area yesterday too. The weatherman on two local competing networks showed those results last night.

I've heard that one of these Georgia fires has been burning for around a month now and that is surely scary as it will probably be a while yet to get contained as such in that kind of mountainous elevations etc. We really do need a hard rain-soaking rain for a few days to help this fire and drought situation. I know that several trees are dying on my property and the main creek is completely dry and the four ponds are at least 3 feet low now.

I live in Augusta too - I hunted yesterday morning until about 10:30 AM and by that time it was really starting to get unpleasant and thick. As for Atlanta I think the wind will be straight out of the north tomorrow - they will get hammered being so close to the Cohutta fire. Then again Augusta might be hammered by the fires in general in NC and Tennessee.

 

[turkeykirk]

Ought to be some good hunting in those burned areas next Spring!

 

[JWT]

Why would I want to hunt a mountain gobbler ? Same as every turkey, just like a bear, a deer , a grouse , oh yeah , he's smarter than anything on this planet because he's a different bird because he lives in the mountains&you walk miles in the dark to kill him , & you use homemade whistle to kill it with, mountain birds are special & different , very hard to kill, glad I killed some before they disapear into that vast wilderness to be never seen again

 

[Timberman]

Smoke drift from the mountain fires...

 

[Timber1]

Why would I want to hunt a mountain gobbler ? Same as every turkey, just like a bear, a deer , a grouse , oh yeah , he's smarter than anything on this planet because he's a different bird because he lives in the mountains&you walk miles in the dark to kill him , & you use homemade whistle to kill it with, mountain birds are special & different , very hard to kill, glad I killed some before they disapear into that vast wilderness to be never seen again

I guess when your just in it for the "killin" it doesn't matter what you hunt, where you hunt, how much you pay to hunt. Long as you kill something, and cover your wall eh?

 

[antnye]

I fear for the effect on the wild trout come next summer. If the mature trees around the headwater creeks are gone water temps will be fatal. Especially if we have drought like this year. Buddy at the Forrest service says they aren't sure how many of the mature trees it will kill. But could be a high percentage. The wilderness area is definitely gonna look different. Being untouched for 40 years.

 

[Timber1]

Be interesting to get up there and look around after it burns out.

 

[Luke0927]

I fear for the effect on the wild trout come next summer. If the mature trees around the headwater creeks are gone water temps will be fatal. Especially if we have drought like this year. Buddy at the Forrest service says they aren't sure how many of the mature trees it will kill. But could be a high percentage. The wilderness area is definitely gonna look different. Being untouched for 40 years.

Is it burning slow enough to kill mature trees? I fish native headwaters too more in central CNF, i would have thought how dry it was it would be a quick fast burn across the floor. But if its been decades since a burn that is a lot of fuel on the floor.

 

[Timber1]

28,000 acres burned. 75% of the wilderness area burned. Thats enough room for 2 or 3 of us.