Whitetail harvest remains strong

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials report that according to numbers from the six Northwest Montana check stations, the whitetail harvest continues to be strong.

TThrough Sunday, Nov. 2, a total of 5,589 hunters checked 281 white-tailed deer (including 235 bucks), 54 mule deer and 19 elk for a 6.3 percent rate of hunters with game.

This compares to a 4.7 percent rate of hunters with game last year. 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.

FWP biologist Chris Hammond notes that the number of white-tailed deer brought through the check stations is about 40 percent higher than at this time last year. The number of mule deer is about the same, and the number of elk is down, he reported.

For the North Fork, 418 hunters were checked, up from 370 last year, with three whitetails, down from nine last year, no mule deer and one elk, for a 2.7 success rate.

The highest success rate among the six stations was Olney, at 7.7 percent. A total of 784 hunters brought in 71 whitetails, up from 54 last year, seven mule deer, up from three last year, and one elk, down from four last year.

As of Nov. 3, a total of 13 wolves have been taken by hunters in Northwest Montana compared to 18 at this time last year. A total of 48 wolves have been taken statewide, compared to 57 at this time last year.

Hunters are reminded that it is bucks-only for whitetails in Northwest Montana. Antlerless whitetails remain legal game for youth 12-15 years of age and some qualifying 11-year-olds. Mule deer are bucks-only for the entire season. Elk are brow-tine bull only. Spike bull elk are not legal game for any hunter in Region 1.