Hunting season totals still up with one week left in the season

MISSOULA – With just under a week left in big game general hunting season, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks west-central Montana hunter check stations continue to report elk and deer harvest totals that are up slightly compared to last year. The general season closes on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Harvest numbers started slightly up and have stayed that way season-long in western Montana. Over the past week, snow accumulations in higher elevations helped hunters with tracking conditions and moved wildlife into new, more accessible spots in some parts of the region.

The deer breeding season, also known as the “rut,” has also bumped hunter success over the past few weeks as bucks are moving around more during the day and less cautious. The three main wildlife check stations near Anaconda, Bonner and Darby are reporting 108 mule deer collectively compared to 93 last year and 464 white-tailed deer compared to 376.

FWP reminds hunters that hunting for antlered buck mule deer on the general license ended on Sunday, Nov. 17 in Hunting Districts 204, 212, 213, 214, 215, 217, 240, 292, and 298.

For elk, those same three hunter check station all show elk harvests up from the 2023 season. Collectively, elk harvest is at 250 through the stations, compared to 208 last season. Elk harvest is also up slightly compared to the five-year average.

The Fish Creek hunter check station in Mineral County west of Missoula doesn’t operate every weekend of the season and sees fewer hunters than the other stations but does collect important harvest trends and reports from the hunters that visit. This weekend, deer hunter traffic and success were steady, especially on Sunday.

Although wildlife check stations do not account for the entire hunter effort and harvest for an area, they capture important trends and biological information, including unique observations from hunters. By stopping to report a harvest or an experience, hunters are helping with wildlife management in Montana. FWP reminds hunters they must stop at all stations that they pass, even if they have not harvested any animals.The general big game season closes on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Hunters can help with chronic wasting disease (CWD) management by submitting samples from harvested deer, elk, and moose for testing. In west-central Montana, the wildlife check stations near Darby and Anaconda are collecting CWD samples, as well as specific CWD sampling locations at Clearwater Crossing in the Blackfoot Valley (Sat, Sun, Mon from 10 a.m.-dark), Arrow Stone Park in Deer Lodge (Fri, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Sat, Sun, Mon from 10 a.m.-dark) and the Missoula FWP office (Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-5p.m.). For a complete list of stations and hours across the state, visit fwp.mt.gov/cwd. Hunter can also take samples themselves and mail them to the wildlife lab for testing.

Although CWD testing is voluntary across most of Montana, samples from hunter-harvested deer, elk and moose are critical to FWP’s understanding of this fatal disease. Multiple big game hunting districts around west-central Montana are Priority Surveillance Areas for CWD, which are areas where FWP is making a concerted effort to gather more samples. All sampling is offered for free to hunters. Hunters play a key role in understanding CWD by providing data and in minimizing the spread by disposing of wildlife parts properly. Read more: fwp.mt.gov/cwd.