Last weekend of hunting ahead

By JIM MANN / The Daily Inter Lake

Harvest statistics continue to lag behind last year's numbers at six big-game check stations in Northwest Montana.

After the fourth weekend of the five-week general hunting season, a total of 20,072 hunters have stopped at the check stations with 1,135 white-tailed deer, 181 mule deer and 123 elk for a 7.2 percent rate of hunters with game.

That compares to 19,580 hunters in 2007 with 1,219 whitetails, 237 mule deer and 127 elk.

Jim Williams, regional wildlife manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said staffers at the check stations are hearing from plenty of hunters who aren't seeing game.

"These are extremely difficult conditions for hunting," he said. "There's no rain, there's no snow, the ground is frozen."

Up until recently, mild weather allowed deer and elk to stay put far more than they would in cold weather.

Williams said "pretty much half" of the hunters stopping at check stations are saying they aren't seeing animals.

"There's a lot of hunters who are having a difficult time finding game in areas where they traditionally have found game," Williams said.

The Olney check station has had the highest percentage of hunters with game, just over 9 percent. So far this season, 3,116 hunters have stopped with 258 whitetails, compared to 267 last year; 24 mule deer, compared to 30 last year, and 11 elk, compared to 12 last year.

Here's a rundown on numbers at the other check stations:

. U.S. 2 west of Kalispell: 6,825 hunters with 351 whitetails (397 last year); 71 mule deer (86 last year); 42 elk (43 last year).

. The Swan station near Ferndale has had 3,575 hunters with 292 whitetails (287 last year); eight mule deer (nine last year); 15 elk (11 last year).

. The North Fork station logged 1,572 hunters with 51 whitetails (49 last year); 20 mule deer (17 last year); six elk (eight last year).

. At Thompson Falls, 2,444 hunters have stopped with 112 whitetail (134 last year); 29 mule deer (441 last year); 39 elk (31 last year).

. At Canoe Gulch near Libby, 2,540 hunters have stopped with 71 whitetail (85 last year); 29 mule deer (54 last year); 10 elk (22 last year).

The number of whitetail bucks has dropped off for the first four weeks of the season with 644 compared to 662 last year.

The number of mule deer bucks harvested is down about 25 percent, from 237 last year to 181 this year.

This year's hunting season comes to a close Sunday at sundown.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com