Editor’s Note: Mossy Oak Properties’ clients may worry when they see burned, charred land as far as the eye can see in the winter or early spring, former grass fields now ash piles, mounds of black soot instead of pine thickets where bucks had bedded-down and only a few sprouts of green. But before the beginning of bow season, honeysuckle, greenbrier (smilax) and blackberry bushes will already sprout in this devastated-looking area, and hunters probably will spot some deer tracks. Native grasses grew, and a new ecosystem will emerge.

When you burn for quail, your burning has to be much-more exact because you have to leave nesting, border and escape cover for them. You don't want to burn all the cover your land has but must leave good blocks of nesting cover in close proximity to both bordering and escape cover. One of the mistakes some people make when they burn for quail is either they use a too-hot fire, burn too frequently or burn too much property in one burn unit. Some laws govern burning in the various states. For instance if you burn more than 1/4-acre at one time, you must have Alabama's Forestry Commission in the State of Alabama issue you a burn permit for the section township and range where you'll burn. You also have to outline for the Commission your burn plan and accept responsibility for the resulting fire and smoke, a common practice in most states. If you live close to a highly-populated area, you may have to get an EPA permit to protect the air quality. If you don't control the fire and/or the smoke, and either damages another property, you're liable, and the landowner can sue you. Too, some groups, like Alabama's Forestry Commission, actually will burn for you for a fee. Each county's Forestry Commission in Alabama uses the money received from doing controlled burns to fund its work within the county. If you don't use the Forestry Commission to do your burn, then make sure you have a person with a certified prescribed-burn manager's license. These individuals know how to develop a burn plan, conduct a burn and maintain it. Most timber companies and large landowners have their own burn specialists.

The weather dictates when and if a burn can take place. Fires are super beneficial. Most all species of wildlife, especially in the South, are what biologists call fire-adapted species. They've learned to survive when fire has been far more frequent on the landscape than it is today. A prescribed fire can be like a dose of medicine for wildlife. You need to identify how the fire can help the wildlife, what areas need to be burned to most benefit wildlife, what results you hope to have from a burn and how to plan to get those desired results. A planned fire will create more food and more habitat for wildlife. I truly believe that fire needs to be used much more often, especially in the Southeast, than it's being used today. Fire also helps hunters get into places to hunt where they haven't been able to go before the fire. Fire also opens-up the understory, which aids hunters in seeing the land's wildlife. Too, fire can provide clearer shots for hunters to take the game, which makes hunting in a burned area much safer. If you go to your hunting club this year and see that the landowner has burned the land, don't get upset. Correctly-conducted fires enhance wildlife habitat and will produce more game.

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