BOZEMAN – Montana’s general hunting season kicked off on Saturday with seasonably mild weather and mostly below-average hunter participation and success in several areas of southwestern Montana.
Wildlife biologists with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks use check stations to collect data on hunter participation and success, as well as the species, sex and age class of the animals harvested. This supplements data collected through hunter harvest phone surveys each year.
Over opening weekend on Oct. 26 and 27, biologists operated six check game check stations in the region: Alder, Canyon Ferry, Cameron, Divide, Gallatin and Silver City. They met with 2,288 hunters, who collectively harvested 137 elk, 18 mule deer and 10 white-tailed deer, among other species.
The Alder, Divide and Canyon Ferry check stations saw lower-than-average hunter numbers for opening weekend. Hunter numbers were about average at the Cameron and Gallatin check stations. Participation ranged from 544 hunters at the Silver City check station to 226 hunters at the Gallatin check station.
Hunter success was below average at the Alder, Canyon Ferry, Divide and Gallatin check stations, and within the long-term average at the Cameron check station. Hunter success ranged from 9.7 percent at the Alder check station to 3.9 percent at the Canyon Ferry check station.
Weather over the weekend was sunny and warm in most areas of the region, with snow only at the highest elevations.
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