Region 4 – Elk and mule deer harvest numbers increased slightly last week on the Rocky Mountain Front.
The numbers were collected at Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ check station in Augusta, says Brent Lonner, FWP wildlife biologist.
“The snow and cold weather over the weekend did help some,” Lonner says. “But the elk harvest is currently 18 percent below the five-year average, and the mule deer harvest is 34 percent below average.”
The white-tailed deer harvest is 17 percent above the five-year average.
While the numbers at the Augusta check station – FWP Region 4’s sole biological check station – apply only to a handful of hunting districts on the Rocky Mountain Front, they often mirror conditions elsewhere in north central Montana.
Elk hunters so far have brought in 180 animals (96 bulls, 68 cows and 16 calves) compared to the five-year average of 219 elk.
Mule deer at the check station have numbered 178 (142 bucks, 35 does and one fawn). The five-year average is 270 animals.
With whitetails, this year’s count in Augusta stands at 212 (135 bucks, 72 does and five fawns), while the average is 177.
The big game general season ends at one half hour past sunset, Nov. 27.
Source: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
