Hunting season ends with increased elk harvest
Schafer VandeVoort, 13, with his first elk that was harvested Oct. 29 in Region 1. (FWP photo)
The 2022 general big game hunting season wrapped up Sunday with the overall number of Northwest Montana hunters with harvested elk up compared to a year ago.
According to Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks information, 61 elk were reported at Region 1 check stations. That compares to 44 last hunting season.
The overall deer harvest was down, however.
The check station data shows 765 white-tailed deer harvested in Region 1, which is down considerably from the 940 reported in 2021. Mule deer numbers were also down, with 69 reported this season compared to 90 last year.
More than 9,200 hunters appeared at check stations in Northwest Montana. Most of those — 4,296 — stopped at the U.S. 2 station west of Kalispell. The Olney station saw 2,230 hunters.
According to FWP, the counts at the stations represent a sampling of the harvest and do not represent the complete number of animals taken. Hunter-harvest telephone surveys, conducted over the upcoming winter months, will provide more harvest data and information for biologists, the state agency stated in a press release Monday.
Many of Montana’s Wildlife Management Areas have seasonal closures from Dec. 2 through May 15 at noon to protect big game winter range.
While the general hunting season ended last weekend, hunters will still have opportunities into winter. Certain areas have continued elk hunting opportunities, and there is also Montana’s muzzleloader heritage hunting season for deer and elk, Dec. 10-18.