Hunter numbers up of big game season-opener

The 2023 Montana big game general hunting season opened Saturday, Oct. 21, and hunters in the west-central part of the state found warm fall weather and a few less animals than in recent years.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife check stations near Anaconda, Bonner, Fish Creek, and Darby saw 2,132 hunters collectively over the weekend. Hunters checked 76 elk, 15 mule deer, 39 white-tailed deer, and one black bear. This compares to 2,016 hunter stops during the 2022 opening weekend and 84 elk, 18 mule deer, 90 white-tailed deer and three black bears.

“Harvest was slower than last year, owing in part to the warm weather, especially on Saturday,” said Rebecca Mowry, FWP Bitterroot area wildlife biologist. “Deer harvest has been light so far, and most of the elk we saw through the Darby station were out of the Big Hole Valley.”

With the forecast for the week ahead including much cooler temperatures and snow in some locations, hunting conditions may change quickly, prompting more hunter success as animals begin to move around and into some lower elevation areas. Stay tuned to the FWP weekly check station reports to see how harvest is stacking up compared to past seasons.

Hunter wildlife check stations sample a small portion of the effort and harvests across the region, but they track important trends and biological information. Biologists use check stations to see how harvest is shaping up compared to historical averages and to collect information on wildlife age, health and other hunter observations from the field. Hunters must stop at all check stations that they pass, even if they have not harvested any animals. The general big game season runs through Sunday, Nov. 26.