Last week we had a fire on our ranch in the panhandle that burned about 50 acres. I hunt a pinch point between heavier wood areas and irrigated cotton fields and I am the only one really impacted by this fire. This was a really thick area but now 75% of trees are gone. Any suggestions on what to do and what I should expect is appreciated. Here are some pics of the layout and fire.

You may be in luck. When it rains and you get new growth, that area may draw in deer like a food plot. Question is, will it happen this fall or will it happen in spring?

My 2 cents....you will see something positive in a week...

one of the best things for deer habitat is fire. Wait, you will see something great out of this fire!

Unclebubba said it right, The timing of the year is the best for wildlife. we burn in summer months for forbe /browse and the winter for cattle grazing. Looking at the brush it was due a burn, The most productive lands get a Low intensity burn every 5-7 years. But due to out side influences we do not burn often enough and it becomes rank. Then these burns remove more than we want on the land scape. One is that the Mesquite may not have been effected, hard to tell from photos. But it can come back with a mission. 50 ac is a good size food plot. It there is time I would scatter a native seed mix in front of a rain. Then treat some, not all the mesquite regrowth make brush lanes. I would let the regrowth , if any get a little growth on it before treatment. Here are pics of a 45 ac burn done 7/25/19 and we done another of 31ac for wildlife production only. Plans are 407 ac in Aug and 368 ac Sept in the panhandle.

Yoakum county fire in March of 2019



June of 2019 same fire scar from different locations

you can see the difference in the head fire on the left and none burned on the right


Good regrowth in sandy soils

The deer will be in that burn area as soon as it greens up. It will be like a food plot. If you had adequate ground moisture that green up will happen very quickly in the summer time. I have seen deer utilize and stay in the burn areas for up to 2-3 yrs or it starts to get mature.

Schat, what did you plant?

Most do not plant anything. That looks like mostly native vegetation to that area. If the fire was not to hot and you had good soil moisture then most of the vegetation will regrow on its own. Fire helps some seeds to break down the seed coat so they can grow after a rain.

Brush in a ground blind and get ready with prayers for rain. Bucks may have black on horns but don't fret as others have said it can be a good productive outcome.

The Indians burned routinely, they knew what they were doing.

Never planted a thing, good ground moisture a couple of showers, Rarely do we plant anything. The only time we recommend planting is for erosion or is no black ash lift Fire timing is the key and not over grazed/ brush choked before the fire. land owners may choice to plant , because the black ground is a huge change.

Fertilize it in advance of rain. As mentioned, deer will quickly find and feed in burn areas as they green up.

There is some caution in fertilizing, This only applies if the if exotics present , such as old world bluestems, Leimen's love grass, and some times Mesquite will out compete the natives plants, If fertilized some plants are more nitrogen depended for growth or better Nitrogen fixers ( Mesquite). Fertilizers are used in forested areas , because trees respond to the increase nitrogen. Black ash is natures fertilizer as carbon is available for several uses.
Fire significantly affects soil properties because organic matter (OM) located on, or near, the soil surface is rapidly combusted. The changes in OM, in turn, affect several chemical, physical, and microbiological properties of the underlying soil. Although some nutrients are volatilized and lost, most nutrients are made more available. Fire acts as a rapid mineralizing agent that releases nutrients instantaneously as contrasted to natural decomposition processes, which may require years or, in some cases, decades.

This is an egghead way of saying fertilizer is an option, but cation is a must with Mesquite and not so deer/wildlife friendly plants.
Paper on soil and fire below

https://forest.moscowfsl.wsu.edu/smp/solo/documents/GTRs/INT_280/DeBano_INT-280.php

Fire is your friend, the family burns the Cooke Co place every year.
If you get some rain it will green up fast as stated by others.
Good luck this fall , you may have the best spot to hunt.

with rain at the right time, may be a really good thing, good luck

Schat and others,

Please share some information about your training and expertise on burning. We have a spot in Hall County
near Childress and would love to do some controlled burns out there but I am afraid we would burn the county down.

1, did you guys get some formalized training for doing controlled burns?
2. does anybody or a group do control burns up in that area?
3. any other information would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

https://www.texasagriculture.gov/Home/ProductionAgriculture/PrescribedBurnProgram.aspx
https://agrilife.org/rxburn/
PM Ranch Dog on here, I think he is a Burn Manager.
Your local NRCS, TPWD Biologist or County Agent can help or get you in touch with help.

This^^^^

Might plant a blend of food plot seed mix in a wide-ish (20'-30'), super thick/dense (2x) application, in a somewhat irregularly shaped/wobbly sendero/wagon wheel spoke configuration. Configure the 'food plot strips' outwardly from your hunting spot. Let Mother Nature fill in the voids with her groceries. The man-made mix may or may not take, that is why I'd split the feed bill with God rather than worry about turning all +/50 acres into some all you can eat buffet.

Additionally, the irregular/semi-winding shape of your 'mini-plots' may offer just enough cover that in a few seasons it'll help put a wary old buck at ease. Make him think he is still hidden.

If the feeder was on the east edge of the burn, moving it to the west edge of the burn, between the pinch point of the cotton and wheat fields might be warranted. Looks like you probably access that spot from the east or south already, so northerly/northwesterly prevailing winds in the Panhandle should continue to make ingress/egress good.

I'd be optimistic for the upcoming Fall.

thanks for the information stxranchman.
Hopefully I sent a PM to Ranch Dog correctly.

thanks

My personal experience is that a fast moving fire can be a good thing. It takes out all of the junk. A slow moving fire is "It all depends.".

Schat and others,

Please share some information about your training and expertise on burning. We have a spot in Hall County
near Childress and would love to do some controlled burns out there but I am afraid we would burn the county down.

1, did you guys get some formalized training for doing controlled burns?
2. does anybody or a group do control burns up in that area?
3. any other information would be greatly appreciated.

thanks



Please reply as a PM , Yes I have formalized training, and 20+ years of learning about burning. I have access to staff and some equipment for burning. I would be glad to assist any one with burning or in contact with burn association that aid in doing the same thing.