Hunter Success Numbers Increasing

If you haven’t entered the Craig & Al Dead Elk Contest here’s some information you might want go over before you venture a guess.

Hunting numbers are improving in some areas of Region 2 according to the latest information from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. With the hunting season at the mid-point hunter check station totals show that elk and deer harvest are on par with last season.

So far hunters have checked 527 animals, compared to 529 at this point in the 2012 season.  Check station tallies show 266 elk harvested, up from 248 last year at this point.  The majority of the elk harvest was reported at the hunter check station near Darby, where totals are just above the five-year     average and 18 percent ahead of last season.

White-tailed deer harvest has picked up in recent days following a slow opening week, but still lags slightly behind last season and 28 percent under the five-year average.

Check stations tallied 7,712 hunters and a harvest of 266 elk, 74 mule deer, 183 white-tailed deer, two black bears, one bighorn sheep and one wolf.