HAVRE–Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Havre hunter check station has been open on weekends since the beginning of antelope general and pheasant (Oct. 10-11) through the first weekend of general deer and elk and will continue through the end of general deer and elk rifle season on Nov. 29.
Hunter numbers increased over the weekend of Nov. 7 and 8, as previously muddy roads dried up and temperatures were warm and dry. There were 222 hunters in 113 parties checked over the weekend. For the year, hunter numbers are slightly above both last year and the long-term average with 1105 hunters passing through the station.
Sunday, November 8, marked the end of the 2026 antelope season. The 253 antelope checked in 2026 is 10% above last year and 7% above the long-term average. Hunter reports were generally positive, with hunters seeing more antelope and more mature bucks then previous years.
Fifty-seven mule deer were checked over the weekend, which is higher than the 2025 season, but still below the long-term average. For the year so far, 126 mule deer have been brought by the check station, which is significantly more than this time in 2025, but still 39% below the long-term average. However, hunters are reporting seeing improved numbers of mule deer compared to the last few years.
White-tailed deer brought by the check station remain well below the long-term average, with only 13 recorded, and hunters are reporting seeing lower numbers of white-tail. Lower harvest and numbers also parallels reductions in region-wide white-tail B-licenses due to populations being affected by an epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) outbreak last year.
Elk harvest increased over the weekend with 11 elk checked, and the 21 recorded so far this year is slightly below the long-term average.
Upland bird reports this year have been variable across the region of northeast Montana. 546 pheasants have been checked this year, which is down slightly from last year and 14% below the long-term average. Only 61 sharp-tailed grouse have been checked, which is well below both last year and the long-term average. It has been another decent year so far for gray (Hungarian) partridge, with the 63 partridge checked being down slightly from last year but still 14% above the long-term average.
Although relatively few waterfowl typically pass through the check station, numbers were slightly above normal, with 59 ducks checked.
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