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Post by 10point on Oct 11, 2007 15:22:29 GMT -5
Info for those hunting and camping in HNF:
BEDFORD, Ind. - The Hoosier National Forest has banned campfires and restricted smoking because of dry conditions causing a greater risk of fire.
Forest visitors are not allowed to use stove fires or build campfires. Smoking is banned except for certain places such as enclosed vehicles or buildings.
The forest service says the restrictions are necessary for public safety and to protect the Hoosier National Forest. Those who violate the prohibitions can be punished by a fine up to $5,000 and six months in prison.
The restrictions will be in place until conditions improve and the forest service lifts the ban.
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Post by dbd870 on Oct 12, 2007 2:35:42 GMT -5
We've really fallen behind on rain, 1 person told me he heard 8-9 in.
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Post by bsutravis on Oct 12, 2007 10:50:59 GMT -5
Better rain before guys head there for their deer camps.
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Post by Russ Koon on Oct 12, 2007 11:17:30 GMT -5
Well, that sort of puts a damper on the plans for the canoe-in hunt next week. Long paddle out to the parking lot to fix a hot meal at the Jeep, then paddle back in to sleep at the camp.
I could go without my coffee, and a cold lunch in my daypack is normal, but one hot meal a day sure feels good.
Seems like overreaction to ban the use of stoves inside tents. I suppose someone may have burned down their tent and started a fire in the woods sometime using a stove, but I've never heard of it.
It would be interesting to see just how well this regulation will be enforced. My guess would be that those who use stoves inside their tents will go unnoticed, especially if they're away from the normal spots where people camp.
Standard operating procedure has become to take something that should be a suggestion or caution and make it a ruling, knowing full well that they are incapable of enforcing it to any real level of effectiveness.
And they wonder why folks have no respect for the law....
BTW, anyone find it strange that this regulation wasn't put into effect back during the time when it was the horsemen and the birdwatchers using the forest.....back BEFORE we had those last three inches of rain that brough us closer than we've been all summer to normal?
Maybe it's only hunters that cause forest fires....
In case you think I'm just a cynical old coot seeing discriminatory practices where there are only genuine concerns.....in western North Dakota, when they were in droughts that were measured in years and where a fire spreads across the prairie very quickly in wind and wipes out the pasture and crops they depend on, as well as their few trees, they often ban OPEN fires. I've hunted there for sixteen years and have never seen a ban on stove use inside or outside a tent. Of course out there, they see hunters as real citizens using the public grounds in a legitimate way, not as Bambi-killers.
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Post by parrothead on Oct 12, 2007 11:35:55 GMT -5
Extended show rain chance next weekend of 60 %. Of course that will change 20 times by then
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Post by tbgrindlay on Oct 12, 2007 11:47:04 GMT -5
A fire or logging is what HNF needs.
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Post by kevin1 on Oct 12, 2007 14:03:09 GMT -5
A fire or logging is what HNF needs. Tell that to the treehuggers blocking it in the courts.  |
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Post by Russ Koon on Oct 14, 2007 23:37:34 GMT -5
OK, turns out the first reports were incorrect in that the use of stoves is still OK, "but only if there is a valve to shut off the fuel in the case of an emergency".
Hmmm....
Anyone ever seen a stove that didn't have a valve to shut off the fuel? Only ones I can think of are those little heat tablet stoves, or the Sterno stoves that you can snuff easily by placing the lid back on the can. Can't imagine either of those things being much of a fire threat, though.
Oh well, sounds like the hunt is back on, anyway, without having to paddle out for a cheeseburger every evening. An open campfire is nice when the conditions are right, but I usually don't mess with one when seriously hunting anyway. Hunt 'til dark, then by the time I make it back to camp and fix a quick dinner it's sack time for the old guy. I have no argument with keeping the fire down to a safe stove for purposes of cooking only...that seems sensible under the circumstances. I think I'll pick up an electric lantern to use this time instead of the old double-mantle, too.
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Post by gundude on Oct 15, 2007 5:41:56 GMT -5
A fire or logging is what HNF needs. Tell that to the treehuggers blocking it in the courts. AMEN! Guys the HNF will soon be a waste land if it isnt prober;y managed.. We have lost this battle for now it seems but if we would ban togather and scream enough we might just change all that |
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Post by Harley on Oct 15, 2007 7:12:55 GMT -5
I can remember about 3 years or so ago when a large motor home caught fire in the HNF and burnt to the ground. There were several trees around it destroyed too. I always spend a few days camping in the HNF every gun season even if I'm not hunting there. It has been a tradition every year for me and my buddies and one that I don't plan to give up.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Oct 15, 2007 8:15:59 GMT -5
I am suprised there has not been a major fire this summer as dry as it has been.
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