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Warmer than average temperatures and lack of snow continue to hamper elk hunter efforts along the Rocky Mountain Front.
“The number of elk brought through the Augusta check station is down by over half as compared to the 10-year average,” says Brent Lonner, Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife biologist.
So far this season, hunters have brought in 92 elk compared to the 10-year average for this date in the hunting season, which is 208.
For deer hunters, however, it’s a different tale. Hunters have checked in 113 white-tailed deer going into the fourth week of the five-week season. That compares favorably with the 10-year average of 116 animals.
Mule deer numbers this year at the check station are 178, only slightly below the long-term average of 195.
“Deer numbers have picked up a little,” Lonner says, “with the rut starting.”
The elk rut peaked the third week of September. Now hunters need snow and cold to move elk into more accessible locations.
While the numbers at the Augusta check station – FWP Region 4’s sole biological check station – apply only to a handful of hunting districts on the Rocky Mountain Front, they often mirror conditions elsewhere in north central Montana.
I’m looking forward to getting out there this year. I think it’s going to be a good season!