With forests and fields tinder-dry and no rain or snow in sight, the state said Monday that it is gearing up to deal with any fires started by the hundreds of thousands of hunters who will be tromping the countryside when the gun season for deer opens next weekend.
“We expect to have some fires started from hunters, and our plan is to check the fires as quickly as possible and get a handle on them before they get out of control,” said Steve Courtney, a fire management officer for the Department of Natural Resources.
All agency firefighting crews will be on duty for Saturday’s opener, a rare move for November, said Ken Terrill, the agency’s fire operations specialist.
This fall, one fire that started in western Wisconsin was attributed to a bullet ricocheting off a rock, creating a spark that ignited a fire, DNR spokesman Jim Bishop said.
