Entering the final week of the general hunting season, the deer and elk harvest in Northwest Montana is slightly ahead of last year, according to results reported at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks check stations around Region 1.
A total of 13,976 hunters have checked 605 white-tailed deer, including 532 bucks, 101 mule deer and 67 elk for a 5.5 percent rate of hunters with game at six stations through Nov. 18.
Harvest numbers are up slightly compared to last year when 5.1 percent of hunters checked game. The number of white-tailed bucks checked is up 8 percent and mule deer numbers are up 40 percent. But elk are down 23 percent compared to last year’s check station results at the same point in the season. Hunter numbers are down 7 percent.
The check station numbers represent a sampling of the harvest and do not represent the complete number of animals taken.
Hunters have taken 19 wolves in Region 1 to date. Statewide, hunters have taken 66 wolves. This is a complete count of the number of wolves taken as of Nov. 18.
The general hunting season ends Nov. 25.