You can plan ahead with Delaware’s deer-season check requirements, Colorado road closures and Oregon’s prescribed-burn update. Check your climbing equipment against a new federal ice-axe recall before your next outing.

Hunting and Seasons

• Delaware: general firearms season and mandatory CWD checks: If you hunt Delaware’s November 13 through 22 general firearms deer season, DNREC’s November 5 announcement reminds you that deer harvested in Wildlife Management Zones 11, 14 and 16 must be taken to a mandatory CWD check station (Delaware DNREC). The stations at Jones Crossroad Landfill, Gumboro Community Center and Redden State Forest’s Jester Tract large parking lot will operate daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. during that season; the community center replaces an earlier announced Gumboro location (Delaware DNREC). Bring your deer registration and its QR code if available to help speed sampling, although DNREC says deer can still be sampled without the QR code (Delaware DNREC).

As you review your season dates and check-station obligations, browse our Hunting collection.

Wildfire and Fire Restrictions

• Oregon: seasonal prescribed pile burning underway on Mt. Hood: Mt. Hood National Forest’s November 5 release says seasonal prescribed pile burning is underway, with operations continuing intermittently through fall and winter when weather permits (USDA Forest Service). The agency reports piles were burned during the preceding week at Tilly Jane Campground and around Clear Lake Lookout and Olallie Lake (USDA Forest Service). You may see smoke during and soon after burning, so check the forest’s update and current conditions when planning visits near these locations (USDA Forest Service).

Trail and Access Closures

• Colorado: storm damage closes Potter Basin and Beaver Park road sections: The Forest Service’s November 5 notice announces temporary closures on Potter Basin Road (NFSR 525) and Beaver Park Road (NFSR 611) in Colorado’s Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests after precipitation damaged the roads (USDA Forest Service). Potter Basin Road is closed at the Monitor Creek crossing about 1.2 miles from NFSR 503 (Delta-Nucla Road), with reopening anticipated within a few weeks only if weather and repairs allow (USDA Forest Service). Beaver Park Road has a culvert failure and washout near NFSR 611.2A, where repairs are not expected until spring 2027; obey barricades and confirm your access route before traveling (USDA Forest Service).

Once you have confirmed a legal, open access route for your outing, review your trip essentials in our Hiking collection.

Gear Recalls

• Climbers: check C.A.M.P. ice axes for a fall-hazard recall: CPSC’s November 5 recall covers about 2,230 C.A.M.P. mountain ice axes because a screw can loosen and allow the handle or pick to detach, creating a risk of serious injury or death from a fall (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). Recall 27-070 lists specific affected batches of X-Dream (3570), X-Dream Total Dry (3609), X-All Mountain Hammer (3630) and X-All Mountain Adze (3631), plus accessory nut-and-bolt kit 3641; compare your model and batch codes with the notice rather than assuming every axe is affected (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). Stop using recalled axes immediately and follow the notice to request a free repair kit with instructions or a repair by C.A.M.P.; CPSC reports no incidents or injuries (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission).

Featured Gear: Review the Princeton Tec Apex LED Headlamp, Black/Grey as you review your hiking and campsite lighting. Check its specifications against your needs before choosing your gear.

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Illustrative prescribed pile burn at Tilly Jane Campground, Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon. USDA Forest Service photo. Forest Service Mt. Hood update and photo. The capture date is not specified; this is not a photograph of an uncontrolled wildfire or the Colorado road damage. No claim to original U.S. Government works.