The drought we are experiencing here in North Carolina is extremely bad with no significant rain in sight. On Monday the Governor urge all of us to conserve water and many municipalities have now banned all types of outdoor watering. From some of the old timers around here I have heard that in the past during serious droughts the Wildlife Commission has actually canceled the hunting season.
NCWC has issued a press release stating they have no plans to cancel or alter this year’s hunting season that should put all of us at ease. However some waterfowl hunts on public grounds may not happen because of no water. My understanding is that if you put in for one of the public waterfowl draw hunts it’s nonrefundable even if there is no water at the blind.
With the extreme dry conditions hunters need to be cautious;
the Commission does urge hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to use extreme caution during dry weather. While campfires and cigarette butts are obvious wildfire threats, muzzleloader rifles, a vehicle’s catalytic converter (which gets extremely hot and can set dry grasses ablaze) and general carelessness also pose risks.
Having witnessed first hand how fast a fire can blow up in drought conditions we all need to be really careful.
So enjoy yourself afield but be careful.
Photos I took 2 years ago in Joshua Tree National Park when a band of thunderstorms came through. Lots of lightning strikes and we saw a fire get started from them. It was amazing and scary how quickly it grew.
