Hunter check stations report less activity at season’s midpoint
Wyatt Shinn with mule deer harvested in Bitterroot Hunting District 270. Wyatt stopped through the check station near Darby. (FWP Photo)
MISSOULA – At the midpoint of big game general hunting season, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks hunter check stations near Anaconda, Bonner and Darby all reported relatively quiet weekends, compared to the start of the season, but harvest totals remain up compared to last year.
Collectively, west-central Montana’s three FWP wildlife check stations saw 5,212 hunter stops during the first two weekends of the season, compared to 5,014 during the same period last year. Those hunters checked 196 elk, compared to 165 last year. They also reported 68 mule deer, compared to 57 in 2023 and 168 white-tailed deer, compared to 172.
Although deer harvest was slower during the third weekend, the deer rut picked up, and a handful of big mule deer and white-tailed deer bucks were harvested in all parts of the region. Mule deer harvest is up or on par with last year at all stations, and white-tailed deer harvest is down just slightly at the check station near Bonner, but on track with last season region-wide.
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