Whitetail harvest remains steady

A total of 8,095 hunters checked 428 white-tailed deer, including 342 bucks, 74 mule deer and 28 elk at the six Northwest Montana check stations through Sunday, Nov. 9, for a 6.5 percent rate of hunters with game.

Harvest was up compared to last year, when 5.2 percent of hunters checked game. The number of whitetail bucks is up 26 percent, the mule deer numbers are about the same, elk numbers are down 22 percent and hunter numbers are down 7 percent.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 wildlife manager Jim Williams noted that strong numbers of younger bucks continue to show up at the check stations.

“We anticipate seeing the older bucks come through check stations over the next few weekends,” he said.

Williams added that despite the soggy conditions on Sunday, hunters were successful and appeared to be having fun.

In the North Fork, a total of 607 hunters checked in 14 white-tailed deer, 10 whitetail bucks, one mule deer and one elk for a 2.6 percent of hunters with game, the same as last year.

Hunters at the Olney check station had the highest success rate, 7.8 percent. A total of 1,215 hunters checked in 111 white-tailed deer, 99 whitetail bucks, eight mule deer and one elk.

A total of 28 elk were checked at the six Northwest Montana stations, down from 36 last year. The highest numbers were 10 at Thompson Falls, down from 14 last year, and eight at Canoe Gulch, up from three.

The counts at the six northwest Montana check stations represent a sampling of the harvest and do not represent the complete number of animals taken.

Hunters have taken 13 wolves in Region 1 to date. Statewide, hunters have taken 54 wolves. This is a complete count of the number of wolves taken as of Nov. 10.

Hunters are reminded that it is buck-only for whitetails in Northwest Montana. Antlerless whitetails remain legal game for youths 12-15 years of age and some qualifying 11-year olds.

Mule deer are bucks-only for the entire season. Elk are brow-tine bull only. Spike bull elk are not legal game for any hunter in Region 1. Hunters should refer to the hunting regulations for the hunting district they plan to hunt.