Weather, rut may improve outlook for hunters

Midway through the general hunting season, the deer and elk harvest remains slow in Northwest Montana.

But with the deer rut getting under way and an expected turn in the weather, hunting conditions could improve.

Through Sunday, 11,589 hunters have stopped at six Northwest Montana check stations with a total of 434 whitetail deer — 345 of them bucks — along with 97 mule deer and 83 elk.

That adds up to 5.3 percent rate of hunters with game at the check stations.

The check stations, which are open only on weekends, represent just a fraction of the overall harvest.

This year’s hunting statistics have been effected by a bucks-only regulation through most of the region, a significant change from the last few years when B tags were widely available to harvest antlerless whitetail deer.

Youth hunters ages 12-15 still can harvest either bucks or does.

John Vore, a state wildlife biologist who runs the check stations on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell and in the Swan Valley, said the buck rut should come into play as far as hunter success.

“The deer rut is really starting to get into full swing and hunters are harvesting some very nice bucks,” he said. “The cold and snow predicted for this week should also help hunters.”

The National Weather Service in Missoula issued a winter storm warning for the West Glacier area through late this afternoon with mountain snow accumulations of 8 to 12 inches and up to 24 inches at higher elevations.

The snow was expected to be accompanied by winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour with gusts to 45 mph.

For the Flathead Valley, the forecast calls for rain turning to snow today, with 1 to 2 inches of snow at lower elevations. The snow level today is predicted to be at 3,000 feet.

Snow in the mountains can improve tracking conditions for hunters and prompt game animals to move more frequently.