Fire in the Everglades

[airboat4fun]

Hey Larry, I was out this weekend and saw that there was recently a fire VERY close to Duck Camp. The fire burned west and south around the head your camp is on and a little around the edges up to the entrance to the camp. I stopped in to make sure everything inside was OK and it was. I was talking to some guys at the ramp and they said it was a CONTROLLED BURN set by the SFWMD. Do they notify camp owners before they do stuff like that? You guys have a lifetime of memories, personal belongings, alot of time and material out there. The fire could have easily changed directions and the outcome would have been much different. A little too close for comfort if you ask me. On the brighter side I was on my way to the tower and saw a full grown, very healthy, whitetail doe not 200 yards from the burn area. She was about 30' from the head when I came around the corner she took a couple hops and stood there and looked at everyone on the boat before turning up that pretty little white tail and slowly walking into the brush. On the way back she was out again. It's the first time in years I've seen a deer out in the open that far east in the middle of the day. Certainly made my day.

 

[Larry]

I haven't been out the last two weekends and this is the first I have heard about that. There was no mention of any controlled burns in the area that I know of. This is the kind of crap I don't like, they let these fires get way too close to the camps. And that area burned is known for being a deer habitat, oh well guess they are really trying to kill them all off.

Larry

 

[cntry141iq]

I am not defending the water boys cause they make my life miserable enough with all the regulations but a burn doesn't hurt the deer it helps big time we used to always burn a couple hundred acres in the glades about 2 or 3 weeks before season opened so they would come eat the new tender grass and it always worked lots better than a feeder or salt block.

 

[airboat4fun]

Fire is a normal and natural thing that happens all the time here in the Glades. I don't doubt that the new tender grasses bring the deer in. I was glad to see their still hanging in there after years of mis management. The issue here is the CLOSE proximity to the camp. At the closest point it was only 25-30 yards from the camp. I'm pretty sure nobody intended for it to get that close, but it did. I'm not sure how to post a pic on the forum, but there is a picture of Duck Camp in my gallery. If you take a look you'll see that it really is someplace special and shouldn't be taken for granted.

 

[jim]

Jim

 

[cntry141iq]

Well I don't know about the "camps" ya'll use in the glades but when I was livin out there I always burned around mine before the woods caught on fire and burned it for me. Are these camps on private land or public land are they private owned or just built out there for everyone to use? If they are on private land then shouldnt be any problem maintaining them