BILLINGS – Monday, alongside Wildlife Manager Brett Dorak, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Dustin Temple held a press conference to address the status of eastern Montana’s mule deer.
“Our job at FWP is to manage Montana’s wildlife resources by providing full contextual, transparent, accurate data with full context,” Director Temple said. “Across the state, we are making the effort to ensure our management of mule deer is based on the best science and data.”
FWP Director Dustin Temple discusses eastern Montana mule deer numbers at a Monday press conference in Billings.
FWP biologists have completed annual spring surveys. For Region 5, the numbers are below the long-term average but are trending higher. Quotas for B licenses are already at the low end of the approved quota, so there is no change. As for Region 6, where spring survey results are 16 percent below long-term average, FWP is reducing B licenses by 54 percent. Lastly, Region 7 spring survey results show an increase of 20 percent over the last year, but total numbers are still 40 percent below long-term average. Just like Region 5, B licenses are already at the minimum of the approved quota range, so there is no B license change.
“Improved weather and habitat conditions across eastern Montana had led to increased fawn ratios observed this spring in eastern Montana and some increases in total mule deer observed, as well,” FWP Region 7 Wildlife Manager Brett Dorak said. “Currently though, most mule deer populations are below their long-term average.”
FWP Wildlife Manager Brett Dorak discusses trends in mule deer numbers across regions in eastern Montana at a press conference Monday in Billings.
A few other major changes to this year’s hunting season regarding mule deer are:
- Antlerless mule deer in Regions 6 and 7 can only be harvested on private property this coming fall, which is a change from years past.
- Beginning in the 2024 hunting season, only antlered buck mule deer may be harvested with a General Deer License in all Region 5 hunting districts. In six of the 10 Region 5 deer and elk hunting districts, youth hunters aged 10-15 may harvest either sex mule deer with a General Deer License.
- Nonresidents may only purchase one Deer B License unless they drew a combo, which allows them to purchase two total. Before this year, nonresident hunters could purchase up to seven Deer B Licenses.
Decade snapshot of Montana mule deer population
