FOREST LAND REOPENS TO HUNTING DAY FIRE LIKELY SCATTERED DEER, BUT SHOOTING SEASON STILL UNDER WAY.

Byline: PATRICIA FARRELL AIDEM Staff Writer

Spot fires still burn in the charred wilderness of northeastern Ventura County, but more forest land has reopened since the massive Day Fire, including prime deer hunting territory.

In the Los Padres National Forest, three zones are open for deer hunting, but outdoor enthusiasts shouldn't expect too much, Craig Stowers of the state Department of Fish and Game said Friday.

``As they open up the land more and more, deer are going to be spooked,'' Stowers said. ``They're probably not in their normal places because of the fire.''

The 163,000-acre Day Fire that started Labor Day and burned out of control for a month in the Los Padres and Angeles national forests skipped over some areas, leaving pockets of vegetation for deer to munch.

But much of the forest resembles a moonscape and deer have scattered, forest officials said.

Stowers said, though, that they'll return in abundance when new tender growth replaces the dense and woody brush destroyed by the fire.

``Fire is quite good for deer habitat, it comes through and sweeps everything,'' Stowers said. ``On older vegetation, the food tends to get out of reach for deer and old forests are dense and hard for deer to get in and forage.''

He predicts exceptional hunting conditions in three or four years when the new growth establishes -- good news for hunters, not so good for the deer.

``It's a Catch-22,'' he said.

There are currently 4,493 hunters with permits to use the three deer zones in the Los Padres, out of 11,000 permits available.

Stowers speculated that hunters delayed buying permits because of the fire and its likely aftermath.

pat.aidem(at)dailynews.com

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