Region 1 – Whitetail deer harvest picked up considerably during the past weekend, as snow and the rut improved hunting conditions.
At the six northwest Montana check stations through Sunday, November 20, a total of 14,986 hunters checked 606 white-tailed deer (494 of these were bucks), 70 mule deer, and 87 elk for a 5.1 percent rate of hunters with game (as compared to 6.9 percent last year). Reflecting the improved hunting conditions, hunters checked 200 whitetail bucks through the check stations on Saturday and Sunday. According to Biologist John Vore at the Swan Valley Check Station, hunters checked more whitetail bucks on Saturday and Sunday than they had during the previous four weekends combined.
The number of deer and elk checked still lags considerably behind this same point last year, as hunters have checked 22 percent fewer whitetail bucks, 44 percent fewer mule deer, and 26 percent fewer elk.
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.
Before heading to the field during this final week of deer and elk season, hunters should refer to the hunting regulations for the hunting district they plan to hunt.
Region One Check Station Summary – Through November 20, 2011
| STATION |
HUNTER
NUMBERS |
|
WHITE-TAILED
DEER |
|
WHITE-TAILED
BUCKS |
|
MULE
DEER |
|
ELK |
|
%
HUNTERS
WITH GAME |
|
|
2011 |
2010 |
2011 |
2010 |
2011 |
2010 |
2011 |
2010 |
2011 |
2010 |
2011 |
2010 |
| HWY 2 |
5,259 |
4,693 |
217 |
237 |
183 |
204 |
34 |
36 |
28 |
29 |
5.3 |
6.4 |
| SWAN |
2,781 |
2,799 |
146 |
213 |
116 |
179 |
2 |
7 |
13 |
18 |
5.8 |
8.5 |
NORTH
FORK |
1,113 |
1,314 |
17 |
58 |
11 |
48 |
3 |
16 |
2 |
5 |
2.0 |
6.0 |
THOMPSON
FALLS |
1,809 |
1,840 |
77 |
71 |
61 |
56 |
4 |
19 |
28 |
50 |
6.0 |
7.6 |
| OLNEY |
2,114 |
2,128 |
116 |
135 |
92 |
114 |
5 |
20 |
6 |
4 |
6.0 |
7.5 |
CANOE
GULCH |
1,910 |
1,682 |
33 |
40 |
31 |
34 |
22 |
28 |
10 |
9 |
3.4 |
4.6 |
| TOTALS |
14,986 |
14,456 |
606 |
754 |
494 |
635 |
70 |
126 |
87 |
115 |
5.1 |
