Fires

Hunting a couple of weeks back in an alpine valley, with a couple of far more experienced hunters than myself, the topic of a camp fire came up.

One was keen to get a fire going, the other was dead against it.
For - atmosphere & warmth and general positivity you get sitting around a campfire.
Against - smokes always in your eyes, and it’s not conducive to hunting. The smoke warns the animals people are around.


I was on the fence. I liked the idea of a fire, but I also liked the fact we had a couple days of hunting ahead of us, in a fairly remote and undisturbed spot, so I kept quiet and let them come to their own agreement, which was no fire.

Interested to hear your thoughts.
Has anyone got any positive or firm evidence one way or the other?

Quite like a campfire, they dion't have to be smokey though. If you're worried about the smoke alerting nearby animals then they've probably already smelt you and fucked off anyway, think about it.

A camps only as good as its fireplace a wise man once said. As for Animals spooked maybe . Last time I was at camp i shot a roaring stag less than 150m from the fireplace with variable wind and smoke everywhere . I think we humans overthink it sometimes . Id rather be warm and have hot water on the go.

haha, have seen lots of deer out on a hut clearing with people inside and smoke wafting down the valley. fwiw loops see many a stag out on hut clearings at midday

I used to think fires were a give away when out hunting. Now id rather be warm and comfy and like others have said i have still seen animals from the deck of huts with fire and people around.

Yep, had a spiker walk into a camp site whilst we were sitting around getting the fire going.
Full on smoke everywhere
Missed the shot too :oh noes:

Mind set.....Depending upon who you are with and whether you are a dedicated hunter to getting an animal?

Huts and deer and quiet human activity probaly don't make the slightess bit of difference to the local "hut pet deer" who regularly feed on the hut clearing.....some of us know the stories.

Fly camping and a big effort to get there because of a "HOT SPOT" for deer. Yes go with no smoke and quiet activity aproach.
However for most / some hunters for years a fire and comfort has allways taken preference over game animals.

So to the powers to be.....What are the rules to lighting fires out in the bush now?

I’m not one of “the powers that be” but somewhere on DOC website it states no fires to be lit in open, only in approved and provided fire places. Forest companies, no fires to be lit within forest, used to be ‘or within 1.5 km of forest’. Around here they even state smoking to be confined to within vehicle cab.

I would love to have a camp fire since to me sitting over a fire in the night is a spiritual thing of hunting and outdoors. I do `t really care about if I came back with nothing, but I do care about the "quality" of my hunting trip. I thought about this before about stay in hut with people have different views about things, like lighting a fire, sleep early or late, or when I light up my cigerate outside...that `s why I ordered a light tent just to keep sand fly away.

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Originally Posted by woods223

I’m not one of “the powers that be” but somewhere on DOC website it states no fires to be lit in open, only in approved and provided fire places. Forest companies, no fires to be lit within forest, used to be ‘or within 1.5 km of forest’. Around here they even state smoking to be confined to within vehicle cab.

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I was a Rural fire Officer for some 30 years so can answer this- if you are heading out and intend to light a camp fire first check on DOC website if its allowed i.e what is the current status of the area you are going to - easy process on DOC web site its like a search engine -you will be asked to state the area and when - if it states the area is in an open season yes you can have a campfire but use bloody common sense where you put the fire -personally I would only light near a stream or river and well away from any potential fuels - if it says restricted season you may well be confined to set DOC areas such as picnic areas or designated campsites the web site will tell you - if it states total ban that means just that - ignore at your peril it could be very expensive

Hunting to me is about the environment I'm in. I love to roam with only a pack & rifle, in our bushlands and Mountain Ranges, keeping alive the old school "man alone' protocols and etiquettes. The bush lore's our last generation of ngarled and grizzled old hunters used to guide their morals.
And cooking on a fire fits right in there..... take it from me, you wont shoot any less deer if you pick your campsite and light a fire ;) and I believe I can hear the odd ghostly "here here" :fire:

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

I was a Rural fire Officer for some 30 years so can answer this- if you are heading out and intend to light a camp fire first check on DOC website if its allowed i.e what is the current status of the area you are going to - easy process on DOC web site its like a search engine -you will be asked to state the area and when - if it states the area is in an open season yes you can have a campfire but use bloody common sense where you put the fire -personally I would only light near a stream or river and well away from any potential fuels - if it says restricted season you may well be confined to set DOC areas such as picnic areas or designated campsites the web site will tell you - if it states total ban that means just that - ignore at your peril it could be very expensive

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For forum users I will try to clarify on monday a few anomalies this has bought up - DOC run a restricted season year around - but this web site does not seem to be able to specifically log into a specified DOC area - rather it will go to nearest town - I will do some home work on monday and see what the rules are - this is an important one as the consequences can be financially severe

Don't fret about making noise either...I have hunted fallow in a pine forest that allowed firewood extraction, and at midday I snuck up on a hind that was standing on a gravel road intently watching a guy cutting branches with a chainsaw, 60 metres away. I couldn't shoot because the guy was in the firing zone.

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Originally Posted by Ranger 888

Don't fret about making noise either...I have hunted fallow in a pine forest that allowed firewood extraction, and at midday I snuck up on a hind that was standing on a gravel road intently watching a guy cutting branches with a chainsaw, 60 metres away. I couldn't shoot because the guy was in the firing zone.

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Yes, animals get used to the expected. Was involved with a forest being logged, the goats were used to the work crews and their hi-viz vests and ignored them but ran a mile from camo hunters.
That issue was solved with a change of dress code for the hunters.

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Originally Posted by NIMROD

Hunting to me is about the environment I'm in. I love to roam with only a pack & rifle, in our bushlands and Mountain Ranges, keeping alive the old school "man alone' protocols and etiquettes. The bush lore's our last generation of ngarled and grizzled old hunters used to guide their morals.
And cooking on a fire fits right in there..... take it from me, you wont shoot any less deer if you pick your campsite and light a fire ;) and I believe I can hear the odd ghostly "here here" :fire:

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Here here
Attachment 224208

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Originally Posted by Nathan F

Here here
Attachment 224208

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and does it not all taste a little better - love the battered old billys - I have my old brew billy and look out any bloody drongo who trys to heat baked beans in it

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

and does it not all taste a little better - love the battered old billys - I have my old brew billy and look out any bloody drongo who trys to heat baked beans in it

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The sights and smells of a campfire trigger a primal feeling of wellbeing in a hunter. The bush is not quite the same without one. Just be sensible.

Man smell will drift almost as far as smoke, so its a forlorn hope thinking that by not having a fire, the deer won't spook.

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

and does it not all taste a little better - love the battered old billys - I have my old brew billy and look out any bloody drongo who trys to heat baked beans in it

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Aye - gotta love wood smoke infused billy tea

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

For forum users I will try to clarify on monday a few anomalies this has bought up - DOC run a restricted season year around - but this web site does not seem to be able to specifically log into a specified DOC area - rather it will go to nearest town - I will do some home work on monday and see what the rules are - this is an important one as the consequences can be financially severe

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okay from DOC website
Lighting fires on public conservation land
Introduction
Find out when and where you can light fires at huts, campsites and in the backcountry on public conservation land.
On public conservation land, you must not light any fires:

where there is a restricted fire season in place
during a prohibited fire season (fire ban), or
where signs say fires are not permitted.
The only exception is the fireplaces inside DOC huts which you can use any time.

At other times, you can only light fires in certain places and you must follow the specific conditions below.

Visit Check it's alright before lighting a fire to check it's safe, and get advice on reducing fire risks.



Lighting fires at campsites
Lighting fires in the backcountry
The "backcountry" refers to areas that are over an hour's walk from the nearest road end.

You can light campfires in the backcountry only if:

there is no fire ban in place, and
there are no notices prohibiting fires there, and
the fire is at least 3 metres away from trees and anything that could catch fire, and
the fire is smaller than 0.5 m in width and in height.
campfire-diagram-600.png
Backcountry fires must be under 0.5 m in size and have 3 metres of clear space around it

Some vegetation types are inherently prone to burning regardless of season. Be careful lighting around long grass, manuka, gorse and tussockland.

Portable fireplaces or stoves using solid fuel such as wood, pellets, charcoal or coal are not permitted on public conservation land. The incorrect disposal of ashes could cause fires..

so it looks as if one can have a fire in the back country under DOC,s rules provided the DOC land has not gone to a prohibited season- but you can see by the statements underlined its not well written -

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Originally Posted by Nathan F

Here here
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This is what I was talking about. I bought couple cast iron cookware for camp fire cooking, thinking someday maybe I could find my little secrete hunt place near water, I will carry them there and leave there since it is too heavy.

Alan Simmons got in the shit over a fire at vechile at road end some time back..... think Sue Gray may have got him off the hook????


last night of a big trip a fire is pure gold... nothing beats sitting beside a good warm fire ..but for crying out loud be sensible and safe
many years back I shot a hare 100 yards from moonlight n roses hut on way in..cooked it for dinner on open fire in campoven..after tea we headed out for look around,downwind of hut with smoke in my eyes I shot a stag not 500 yards from hut...

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Originally Posted by Black Rabbit

This is what I was talking about. I bought couple cast iron cookware for camp fire cooking, thinking someday maybe I could find my little secrete hunt place near water, I will carry them there and leave there since it is too heavy.

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hmmmm - dont leave cast iron to long out in scrub even if you have greased it really well - rusts fairly quickly

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Originally Posted by Black Rabbit

This is what I was talking about. I bought couple cast iron cookware for camp fire cooking, thinking someday maybe I could find my little secrete hunt place near water, I will carry them there and leave there since it is too heavy.

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Yeah I’ve got a cast iron camp oven too. It lives out of the rain well under the tarps in the wood pile. Great thing to have

@Barry the hunter. While you’re looking up doc rules regarding fires can you find clarification regarding the use of standing or fallen vegetation for fires. It’s getting late in the day but I seem to remember that where fires are allowed you basically can’t use vegetation originating from doc estate, certainly not native. Irrespective of what the rules say I like to think we’re all sensible about campfires when we’re out and about and I believe we’ve all possibly broken the ‘rules’ at some stage.

its our land,its our wood,its our heritage if I want to light a plurry fire and its safe to do so I plurry well will.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

its our land,its our wood,its our heritage if I want to light a plurry fire and its safe to do so I plurry well will.

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yeah feel the same Micky Duck - fires are allowed back country so I guess common sense says dead wood all okay -

Good discussion - one that comes up on most trips.

I recall reading an article many years ago by a very intelligent historian/archeologist.
He described that the ability to make/use 'fire' was the second thing that differentiated man from other living organisms...the first being an 'opposed thumb'.
He went on to say that the ability to use fire enabled man to do things like cook otherwise inedible food, live in places that were inhospitable, provide protection from critturs that regarded humans as food, make implements, build things from materials that in their raw state were useless etc etc etc
He went on to say that at a subconcious level we are drawn to fire because it is/was the difference between life or death.....
For those that have open fires in their home or in the outdoors, have you ever noticed that guests are immediately drawn to them and most will take great pleasure in throwing fuel onto an already lit fire.....or will help to set a fire.......
He also said that the thought of 'fire' is indelibly imprinted on our DNA and it will take millenia to erase it.

He went into much more depth than what I have written but thats the gist of what he said.

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

hmmmm - dont leave cast iron to long out in scrub even if you have greased it really well - rusts fairly quickly

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Yes, but if you could prepare a new cast iron well for the first time, then there would `nt be any problems, but it has to be real cast iron. some of my ones, I just leave them outside, I did `t find any rusts, but the big steel pot 16 inches...now it `s fire pit.

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Originally Posted by Black Rabbit

Yes, but if you could prepare a new cast iron well for the first time, then there would `nt be any problems, but it has to be real cast iron. some of my ones, I just leave them outside, I did `t find any rusts, but the big steel pot 16 inches...now it `s fire pit.

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yes they are great if properly treated from new - and ones knows how to look after them - but sadly many dont - been to a lot of huts and there is a cast iron camp oven been left there but sadly rusted so badly cant be used - we always had aluminium camp ovens when I worked in the bush - much easier to look after - so Black Rabbit be good if you could tell us how you treat a new cast iron camp oven and how do you fix a rusted one ??

I’m just sitting here watching rugby and got thinking when was the actual last time I slept in a doc hut. Came up with December 2019. The point been I’ve done a heap of trips since then. 95% of them roaming the back country and living out of a pack. So if I get into a camp cold ,tired and wet from crossing rivers - guess what the first job is after putting up the fly?

Seasoning cast iron is a very simple process.

Heat skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat and rub with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel or rag. ...Allow the skillet to dry out on the stovetop.Repeat this process until skillet looks glossy, smooth, and dark, and is not sticky or patchy, about 3 rounds.

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

yes they are great if properly treated from new - and ones knows how to look after them - but sadly many dont - been to a lot of huts and there is a cast iron camp oven been left there but sadly rusted so badly cant be used - we always had aluminium camp ovens when I worked in the bush - much easier to look after - so Black Rabbit be good if you could tell us how you treat a new cast iron camp oven and how do you fix a rusted one ??

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I enjoy cooking, outdoor cooking particularly. One thing I learned is the real cast iron cookware when it `s new is not black, but is more silvery. After treatments, it `s black, shining black, you can fry a egg without oil. I am no expect of metals...you get lots pigs, so use the pig skin, take little time about 30 minutes then you will have a good pan. It `s a long story to tell, I will PM or post here after this weekend since I am on fishing trip. Sorry

I love a campfire after a big day in the bush it seems to chill you out and get the stories flowing before you crash out. One night sitting around the fire talking to my 3 hunting mates a Sika hind came flying through our camp and jumped over the fire we were sitting around making my mate drop the bottle of Whiskey we were having a nightcap from, that certainly doesn't happen very often and would be a once-in-a-lifetime event for me. Has anybody else had that happen to them?

There is nothing more primal to modern man, than a fire. Nothing !

In fact 1/3rd of the 8 billion people on this planet today, still cook over an open fire

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Originally Posted by 57jl

... Has anybody else had that happen to them?

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No I have never dropped a bottle of whiskey due to deer jumping over campfire. Very unusual indeed.

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Originally Posted by 57jl

I love a campfire after a big day in the bush it seems to chill you out and get the stories flowing before you crash out. One night sitting around the fire talking to my 3 hunting mates a Sika hind came flying through our camp and jumped over the fire we were sitting around making my mate drop the bottle of Whiskey we were having a nightcap from, that certainly doesn't happen very often and would be a once-in-a-lifetime event for me. Has anybody else had that happen to them?

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Must have been a (heat sika)

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Originally Posted by Bushline

Must have been a (heat sika)

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Post of the year. Well done.

Hi@Barry the hunter

I am no expert for metal works, only share my living experience, and I have those modern cookware but they are only designed for cook a hot meal. The cast iron ones is not cheap in NZ, so if you bought one here is the steps what how I prepare it.

1st, use water and dishwashing liquid clean it up and put it on fire heat to dry, and do it again,
2nd, heat it up and use pig skin as brush to do further clean up, you could see how dirty it is, pig skin will turn into black, and you may do this step for two or three times, and then wash it with hot water, not cold water.
3rd. heat it up, use pig skin like step two to check if it cleaned, and if so your cast iron should be shiny black in color. and fry a egg see if the egg without adding any cook oil and if the egg is not sticky with it, then you are done.
step 4 is you have to actually use your cast iron for sometime before you leave them into bush or outside. And the one you found rusty one, it can be restored, only take more time like to do with new ones. Hope this could help.

cheers