PINETOP — On April 26, the U.S. Forest Service announced new closures due to the Rattlesnake Fire burning south of Alpine, which will affect access for turkey hunters heading to Game Management Unit (GMU) 27.

Forest Road 26 is open to vehicles, but the area south of the roadway is closed from FS Road 26 to FS Road 587. Additionally, trailhead closures are in place between FS Roads 26 and 54 east of Highway 191. The Black River south of Buffalo Crossing is also included in this closure.

See the map and closure order for more details (Facebook).

Areas in Unit 27 outside of the expanded Rattlesnake Fire closure area on the Alpine Ranger District that turkey hunters should consider during the closure include:

FS Road 281 all the way down into Blue River.
FS Road 403 just west of Alpine.
The middle mountain area along FS Roads 37 and 405.
The Indian Peak area along FS Roads 58 and 59, just south of Alpine.
FS Road 276 west of Alpine, down into the East Fork of Black River.
FS Road 567 east to Blue River.
FS Road 184 east off of Highway 191.

For updates on the Rattlesnake Fire, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/.