Harvest numbers were up for west-central Montana’s big game opener Oct. 22.   Deer harvest was particularly strong with a reported total 79 percent above last year’s opener.    Elk harvest was comparable to last year and above the five-year average.

“With the number of animals and hunters passing through the station, it just felt like a good day, and the tallied up check station results reflect this,” says Bob Henderson, FWP wildlife biologist responsible for the Bonner check station.

The Bonner station recorded 109 white-tailed deer and 24 mule deer during day one of the season—nearly twice the number of deer checked at the station on last year’s opening day.

Stable to increasing deer and elk populations combined with recent cool, wet weather contributed to Sunday’s harvest success.   The three high elevation SNOTEL weather information sites used by area wildlife biologists to track snow depth during hunting season, showed snow accumulations ranging from six to seven inches.   On last year’s opener only trace amounts were reported at the same sites.

The three west-central Montana check stations reported an opening day total of 2,800 hunters that checked 85 elk, 134 white-tailed deer, 41 mule deer, two black bears and two bighorn sheep for 9.4 percent of hunters with game.

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