Hunter Numbers and Harvest Success Mixed in North-Central Montana During Fourth Week of Hunting Season

Photo credit FWP Cold and snowy weather arrived in north-central Montana over the past week, and although the wintery weather has been welcomed by hunters and hunter success rates remain good, it has not resulted in a significant uptick in hunter numbers. Through Sunday Nov. 24, just over 2,100 hunters have been checked through the FWP check station on Main Street in Augusta, which is approximately 13 percent below the 10-year average. Overall harvest of all big game animals is only two percent below average and nearly identical to last year at this time. A total of 574 big game animals have been checked so far this season, of which 96 percent are deer and elk, with nineteen other animals checked, including bighorn sheep, mountain goat, antelope, moose, and wolf. Overall hunter harvest success remains above recent average with 27 percent of hunters reporting harvested big game, which is higher than the ten-year average of 24 percent of hunters with harvested game. So far this season, mule and white-tailed deer harvest continues to dominant the harvest tally, amounting to just over 70 percent of the total big game checked. Mule deer harvest is 28 percent above the 10-year average while white-tailed deer harvest is very near average. Antlered and antlerless deer harvest comprises 62 percent and 38 percent of the total deer harvest, respectively. The deer rut is in full swing, with hunters seeing and harvesting some larger bucks. Several of the largest bucks seen at the check station in the past week were brought in by young hunters in their first year of hunting. Elk harvest lags well behind average however, with 143 elk checked thus far at the station, a decline of 28 percent less than the ten-year average of 199 elk. Bull and antlerless elk harvest comprise 41 percent and 59 percent of the total elk harvest, respectively. Sun River elk (Hunting Districts 424, 425, 442) comprise nearly two thirds of the elk harvest. The HD 442 quota has been met, reverting the season to brow-tined bull only hunting opportunity through the end of the season. The HD 424 elk quota has not been met and remains open for brow-tined bull or antlerless elk hunting opportunity. For quota status information or other local area hunting information, the check station can be reached at 406-562-3467. The general deer and elk seasons run through Sunday, Dec. 1. The check station operated by FWP along Main Street in Augusta is the only biological check station in Region 4 and operates seven days a week from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends. Biological check stations like the station in Augusta are intended primarily for biologists to gather trends and statistical information about animals and hunters. Hunters are reminded that they must stop at any check station they pass while hunting, whether or not they have harvested game.