Wildfire in Colorado is inescapable. It’s grim reality. It dominates the news, and the images of destruction remain vivid long after containment is well in hand.

What are the likely impacts of wildlife on wildlife, and, by extension, to deer and elk hunters next fall?

As John Ellenberger sees it, the potential impacts largely are a matter of perspective.

“Colorado has approximately 103,000 square miles, and with the exception of some highly developed areas like the major cities, almost all of that is deer habitat,” said Ellenberger, big-game manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. “The fires have burned somewhere around 203 to 205 square miles, and within that, not everything burned.

“We may have lost some deer and elk to the fires, but a lot more made it through. And most of our prime deer and elk areas across the state haven’t been affected at all.”

Ellenberger believes most adult deer, elk and bears managed to flee the fires unscathed, but newborns, especially deer fawns, may have perished.

“Elk calves are followers; they move along with the herd and generally escape,” he said. “Fawns are hiders, seeking safety by taking cover. They get separated and suffer greater mortality.”

Destruction within the Hayman and Missionary Ridge fires, the largest of the season, is not total. The Hayman/Schoonover fires burned parts of three game-management units.

Within that, 60 percent of the land was affected, according to estimates by Bob Davies, Colorado Springs-based senior terrestrial biologist for the DOW’s southeast region. In parts of the burned area, the fire singed only the ground cover, leaving trees and other growth largely intact. Some burned areas where rain has fallen already have turned green.

Significant islands of habitat with riparian vegetation were found within the burned area, and a number of deer were observed within such islands.

“They appeared to be in good condition, with good antler growth,” Davies said.