Oct. 25–The elk population around Butte and other parts of southwestern Montana is in pretty good shape as hunters head into Saturday’s start of general rifle season.
Mule deer and white-tailed deer are common but below long-term averages, and in several districts — including some to the north and west of Butte — hunting mule deer is by permit only.
Of course, the population pictures and chances of landing big game can vary by district and smaller areas within them, and it’s up to hunters to know what specific regulations and permits apply where.
But big game season is here, hailed through special sales in cities and towns throughout Montana and the blasts of gun fire in the sticks.
Vanna Boccadori, a Butte biologist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said for hunters “it’s like Christmas for a month.” The season runs through Dec. 1.
The overall outlook for elk around the Butte area is “very positive,” she said, with populations generally on the rise.
“The snow we had a couple of weeks ago has the elk kind of moving around a bit but they are probably still on their summer ranges,” she said.
According to the FWP’s 2013 hunting outlook, elk numbers in Region 2 — which covers a large swath of western and southwestern Montana including Butte and Missoula — are
generally above the long-term average.
But calf production and survival are low in several districts along the Idaho border and Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wilderness areas, where opportunities to hunt antlerless elk are sharply reduced. A special permit is required to hunt bull elk in districts 250 and 270 — the Upper Bitterroot– to allow their numbers to rebound.
The areas with the highest elk numbers remain around Dillon, the Pioneer Mountains and the Shields Valley and Helena areas, although access could be more difficult in the latter two places. The population appears stable in the Elkhorns, between Butte and Helena, with some stabilization seen in the Upper Gallatin and Paradise Valley.
Boccadori said the elk population is pretty strong around the Highlands and much of the area’s harvest could take place there.
During last year’s hunting seasons, elk tended to gather in areas near water. That might not be as common this time around.
“Last year the summer was so dry and the fall, too, the elk were concentrating around water sources,” Boccadori said. “This year has been wet enough that the elk are all over, which will make it a little more difficult.”
Ray Vinkey, Philipsburg FWP biologist, said elk numbers are over objective in parts of the Upper Clark Fork River drainage, which includes hunting districts 210-216 and 291 that he helps oversee.
In District 212, which includes Drummond, Garrison, Philipsburg and Racetrack Creek, numbers are far above management objective, Vinkey said. But that is largely because of limited access to private lands — which is the case in some other areas, too.
“The story looks like elk are all over the place, but distribution is a very challenging issue,” he said. “Overall closer to Butte we are basically at our management objective.”
Farther south, elk numbers are still over their objective in the Lima Peaks country and in the Gravelly and Snowcrest ranges, said FWP Dillon biologist Craig Fager.
As for deer, whitetails and mule deer are common in Region 2, but are generally below historic averages. The FWP has restricted hunting opportunities for antlerless deer to limit any further declines and speed population increases, but hunting for white-tailed bucks should be improving overall.
Hunting for mule deer is by permit only in several districts in Regions 2 and 3. Vinkey said those include 212-214 because of low buck rations.
“Overall deer numbers are probably increasing on private lands and decreasing on public lands,” he said.
— Reporter Mike Smith may be reached via email at [email protected] or call (406) 496-5511.