Nov. 05–Two weeks into the general hunting season, the whitetail deer harvest continues to lag behind last year’s numbers, but more than double the number of mule deer have been counted at Northwest Montana game check stations.
Through Sunday, a total of 5,775 hunters have stopped at the six check stations that are open during weekends in Northwest Montana Region One.
Hunters have checked 197 whitetails so far, including 162 bucks, along with 48 mule deer and 28 elk for a 4.7 percent rate of hunters with game.
That compares to 5,377 hunters with 255 whitetails (including 221 bucks), 19 mule deer and 38 elk at this point in the season last year.
Jim Williams, regional wildlife manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, predicted that, based on past trends, the deer and elk harvest should pick up each weekend until the Dec. 1 end of the hunting season.
Another notable development is that 18 wolves have been taken by hunters in Northwest Montana so far this season, accounting for about a third of the 57 wolves that have been harvested statewide.
The wolf count is not based on check station numbers; hunters must report a wolf being harvested within 24 hours.