In early July of 2017, Mike Hullis with Montana Public Radio explained his research findings on how wildfires affect wildlife in Montana, specifically how it affects deer and elk.

It means that fire is not only beneficial to deer and elk, but essential if our goal is to have large numbers of deer and elk in our forests.

Hullis went on to state that “Paradoxically, while the literature is conclusive that fire is beneficial to mule deer and elk, I found a reverse relationship for white-tailed deer.”

He ends his article with the following:

Well, no doubt about it, wildfires are pretty devastating to those people who lose homes and belongings. The smoke is certainly an inconvenience at best and a health hazard at worst for the rest of us. But don’t worry too much about the fate of mule deer and elk out there. Trust me, they’re not as stressed as you might think!

You can read the full article, and listen to “Field Notes” on MTPR.

What are your thoughts?  Have you done your own research, and do you agree with Hullis?