Hunting harvest is slow so far

By JIM MANN/The Daily Inter Lake

The deer and elk harvest in Northwest Montana continued to run well below last year's harvest through the first week of the big game season.

A total of 8,011 hunters have passed through the region's six check stations, slightly less than last year's numbers for the first week of the season.

Hunters have checked a total of 339 white-tailed deer, 53 mule deer and 68 elk for a harvest rate of 5.7 percent, compared to last year's rate of 8.1 percent.

The whitetail harvest started to pick up when a weather front moved into the region, according to John Vore, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist who works at the Swan Valley check station.

Jim Williams, the regional wildlife manager, noted that the check station results indicate there are fewer yearling whitetails and fewer whitetail bucks compared to last year. He said that is likely due to poor hunting conditions and severe weather last winter that led to poor fawn survival.

So far, the check stations have logged 113 white-tailed bucks compared to 193 last year, 53 mule deer compared to 88 last year, and 68 elk compared to 79 last year.

Here's a rundown on check-station statistics for week one:

. The U.S. 2 station west of Kalispell had 2,438 hunters stopping with 87 whitetails compared to 138 last year; 23 mule deer compared to 27 last year; and 15 elk compared to 26 last year.

. The Swan station had 1,272 hunters stopping with 70 whitetail compared to 138 last year; three mule deer compared to one last year; and nine elk compared to seven last year.

. The North Fork station recorded 623 hunters with 11 whitetails compared to 12 last year; four mule deer compared to three last year; and three elk compared to five last year.

. The Thompson Falls station had 1,259 hunters stopping with 47 whitetails compared to 65 last year; 10 mule deer compared to 25 last year; and 27 elk compared to 17 last year.

. The Olney station had 1,231 hunters stopping with 96 whitetails compared to 143 last year; six mule deer compared to 12 last year; and eight elk compared to nine last year.

. The Canoe Gulch station near Libby had 1,188 hunters stopping with 28 whitetails compared to 38 last year; seven mule deer compared to 20 last year; and six elk compared to 15 last year.