Deer and Elk Harvest Steady in Northwest Montana

At the six northwest Montana check stations through Sunday, November 11, a total of 11,094 hunters checked 425 white-tailed deer (368 of these were bucks), 64 mule deer, and  58 elk for a 4.9 percent rate of hunters with game.  Harvest was up as compared to last year when 4.2 percent of hunters checked game.  The number of whitetail bucks checked is up 25 percent, mule deer numbers are up 23 percent, and elk are down 9 percent as compared to last year’s check station results at the same point in the season. Hunter numbers are down six percent.

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 are reminded that it is buck-only for whitetails in northwest Montana. Antlerless whitetails remain legal game for youth 12-15 years of age (and some qualifying 11-year olds, see regulations).  Mule deer are buck-only for the entire season.  Elk are brow-tine bull only.  Spike bull elk are not legal game for any hunter in Region One.  Hunters should refer to the hunting regulations for the hunting district they plan to hunt.

Wolf Harvest:  Hunters have taken 17 wolves in Region One to date.  Statewide, hunters have taken 55 wolves in total. This is a complete count of the number of wolves taken as of November 13.